Who is Sibilla Barbieri? Wiki, Age, Husband, Family, Net Worth, BIO, Death
Sibilla Barbieri (born in 1965 – died on 6 November 2023, Aged: 58 years old) was an Italian actress, director, and activist who died on November 6, 2023, in Switzerland, where she had gone to undergo assisted suicide. She was 58 years old and had been suffering from terminal cancer for a decade.
She was known for her roles in films such as Dio Salvi la Regina, Orizzonti, L’amante, and Inside. She was also a consigliera of the Luca Coscioni Association, which advocates for the legalization of euthanasia in Italy. Here is some more information about her life, career, and death.
Biography & Education
Barbieri was born in 1965 in Rome, Italy. She had a passion for cinema since her childhood and studied acting at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.
She graduated in 1985 and started her career as a theater actress. She also attended courses in directing, screenwriting, and editing at the Scuola Nazionale di Cinema.
Film Career
Sibilla Barbieri made her film debut in 1986 in the comedy L’amante, directed by Marco Vicario. She then appeared in several films and TV series, mostly in supporting roles. Some of her notable works include:
- Orizzonti (1992), a drama directed by Paolo Brunatto, where she played a journalist investigating the disappearance of a young woman.
- Inside (1996), a thriller directed by Arthur Penn, where she played a hostage in a New York penthouse.
- Dio Salvi la Regina (2020), is a comedy directed by herself, where she plays the protagonist Diana, a doctor who declares the independence of her house from the Italian state.
She also directed and wrote several short films and documentaries, such as Il sogno di Sibilla (2004), La vita è Bella (2007), and Il Volo di Icaro (2011).
Parents, Family, and Siblings
Sibilla’s parents were Mr. and Mrs. Barbieri, whose names and professions are not publicly known. They supported their daughter’s artistic and activist endeavors and were proud of her achievements. Sibilla often expressed her gratitude and love for her family on her social media accounts.
Sibilla Barbieri Wiki/BIO
| Name | Sibilla Barbieri |
| Birth date | 1965 |
| Birthplace | Rome, Italy |
| Death date | November 6, 2023 |
| Death place | Switzerland |
| Cause of death | Assisted suicide |
| Occupation | Actress, director, activist |
| Spouse | Vasco Barbieri (1988-1998) |
| Children | Vittorio Parpaglioni Barbieri, Marcello Barbieri |
| Films | Dio salvi la Regina, Orizzonti, L’amante, Inside |
| Associations | Luca Coscioni, Soccorso Civile |
| sibilla.barbieri | |
| sibilla.barbieri | |
| Homepage | newsunzip.com |
Activism and Euthanasia
Sibilla Barbieri was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 and underwent several treatments, including chemotherapy and surgery. However, her condition worsened and she became dependent on oxygen therapy and painkillers. She decided to end her life with dignity and requested assisted suicide in Italy, following the criteria established by the Constitutional Court in the Cappato/DJ Fabo case. However, her request was denied by the ASL Roma 1, which claimed that she did not meet the requirement of being dependent on life support.
She then decided to go to Switzerland, where assisted suicide is legal, with the help of the Luca Coscioni Association and the Soccorso Civile. She was accompanied by her son Vittorio Parpaglioni Barbieri, the former senator Marco Perduca, and the activist Marco Cappato. She died peacefully in a Swiss clinic on November 6, 2023, after taking a lethal dose of barbiturates.
Her death sparked a debate on the right to die in Italy and the need for a law that regulates euthanasia and palliative care. Her son and the other people who helped her face criminal charges for aiding and abetting suicide, which can result in up to 12 years of imprisonment.
They have denounced the ASL Roma 1 for torture, refusal of official acts, and private violence. They have also called for the resignation of the president of the Lazio region, Nicola Zingaretti, for failing to protect the rights of terminally ill patients.
Marriage, Husband & Kids
Sibilla Barbieri was married to Vasco Barbieri, a musician and composer, from 1988 to 1998. They had two sons, Vittorio and Marcello, who are both involved in the film industry.
Vittorio is an actor and director, while Marcello is a theoretical biologist and professor at the University of Ferrara. Sibilla was also close to her sister Simona, with whom she founded the production company La Siliàn in 2008.
Sibilla Barbieri was a woman of courage, talent, and humor. She loved life and fought for her freedom until the end. She left behind a legacy of artistic and social achievements, as well as a message of hope and dignity for all those who suffer from incurable diseases.
A Tragic Choice: How a Roman Actress Ended Her Life in Switzerland
Sibilla, a 58-year-old actress and director from Rome, Italy, made a heartbreaking decision to end her life in Switzerland on November 6, 2023, after being denied relief from her terminal cancer by the Italian health authorities.
She was accompanied by her son and members of the Luca Coscioni Association, a right-to-die organization that advocates for the legalization of assisted suicide in Italy. Her case has sparked a debate on the ethical and legal implications of assisted suicide, and the differences between the Swiss and Italian laws on this controversial issue.
Background
Sibilla Barbieri was diagnosed with terminal cancer 10 years ago and had been suffering from unbearable pain and dependence on oxygen therapy and painkillers. She had requested assisted suicide in Italy in July 2021, but her application was rejected by a medical panel that deemed her condition did not meet the criteria established by the Italian Constitutional Court in 2019.
According to the court ruling, assisted suicide is not always a crime in Italy, but it can only be granted to patients who are experiencing “intolerable suffering” from an incurable condition and who are dependent on life-sustaining treatment. The court also stated that the patient’s request must be evaluated by a doctor and confirmed by a second independent doctor and that the patient must be able to self-administer the lethal drug.
Barbieri, however, did not qualify for assisted suicide in Italy, as she was not reliant on life-support treatment, and her suffering was not considered “intolerable” by the medical panel. She appealed the decision, but her appeal was dismissed. She then decided to travel to Switzerland, where assisted suicide has been legal since the 1980s, and where the laws are more liberal and flexible.
The Swiss Model
Switzerland is one of the few countries in the world that allows assisted suicide, along with the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Colombia, and some states in the US and Australia. However, unlike most of these countries, Switzerland does not require the patient to have a terminal illness or a specific prognosis to access assisted suicide. Instead, Swiss law permits individuals to assist in another’s suicide as long as the motive for doing so is not “selfish”.
This means that the person who provides the assistance, usually a doctor or a member of a right-to-die organization, must not have any personal or financial interest in the patient’s death.
The patient, on the other hand, must have a “rational” and “persistent” wish to die and must be capable of making an informed and voluntary decision. The patient must also be able to self-administer the lethal drug, usually a barbiturate, under the supervision of the assistant.
The Swiss model of assisted suicide is based on the principle of self-determination and respect for individual autonomy. It also allows foreigners to access assisted suicide in Switzerland, as long as they meet the same criteria as Swiss citizens.
This has made Switzerland a destination for “suicide tourism”, attracting hundreds of people every year from countries where assisted suicide is illegal or restricted. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 1,286 people died by assisted suicide in Switzerland in 2020, of which 289 were foreigners, mostly from Germany, France, and Italy.
The Controversy
The Swiss model of assisted suicide has been praised by some as a humane and compassionate way of respecting the dignity and freedom of people who want to end their suffering, but it has also been criticized by others as a dangerous and unethical practice that undermines the value of human life and the role of medicine. Some of the main arguments against assisted suicide are:
- It violates the sanctity of life and the Hippocratic oath of doctors to do no harm.
- It creates a slippery slope that could lead to the abuse and coercion of vulnerable people, such as the elderly, the disabled, and the mentally ill.
- It undermines the efforts to provide palliative care and psychological support to patients who are terminally ill or in distress.
- It sends a negative message to society that some lives are not worth living and that suicide is a legitimate solution to problems.
Trivia
- She also had a website, where she showcased her films, books, and articles, and where she shared her video message before her death.
- Sibilla Barbieri was a supporter of the biosemiotics movement, which studies the signs and codes of life and was founded by her brother Marcello Barbieri, a theoretical biologist and professor at the University of Ferrara.
- She was a friend and collaborator of Marco Cappato, a former member of the European Parliament and a leader of the Radical Party, who was acquitted by the Supreme Court of Cassation in 2019 for having helped DJ Fabo to die in Switzerland in 2017.
- Barbieri was one of the protagonists of the documentary Il mio corpo vi seppellirà (My Body Will Bury You, 2019), directed by Giovanni Coda, which follows the stories of four people who want to die with dignity and who face legal and moral obstacles in Italy.
