Americas Desk (EFE).- Uruguay will vote this week on a “dignified death” bill that would legalize active euthanasia for adults with incurable diseases or unbearable suffering. If passed, it would make Uruguay the third country in the Americas to regulate it, after Canada and Colombia.
On Tuesday, Uruguay’s Chamber of Representatives started debating the bill. So far, only Colombia and Canada have legalized active euthanasia in the Americas.
In the United States, active euthanasia is not legal in any state, although assisted suicide is allowed in some states and the District of Columbia.
Elsewhere in Latin America, there is no ruling legalizing active euthanasia, although there have been exceptional court cases in some countries, such as Ecuador and Peru.
A majority of Uruguayans support the bill
Uruguay is preparing to decide on a new bill that seeks to guarantee the right to “die with dignity” by decriminalising euthanasia for mentally competent adults who are terminally ill with incurable and irreversible diseases, or who are “experiencing unbearable pain.”
The procedure would be accessible to citizens and residents, with the law providing detailed, step-by-step instructions.
The new bill, which has the support of the ruling Frente Amplio party and part of the Colorado Party, is being introduced five years after the first push. This follows a frustrated attempt approved by the Chamber of Representatives in 2022 but stalled in the Senate.
It introduces changes such as the involvement of a medical panel in cases of disagreement between the two doctors authorizing the procedure. Although there is opposition from the National Party and groups such as Identidad Soberana and Cabildo Abierto, the vote is expected to be favourable.
Colombia and Canada, pioneers in legalization of active euthanasia
Colombia became the first American country to decriminalize euthanasia in 1997 by a Constitutional Court decision, although the first legal euthanasia was not performed until 2015.
Since 2021, access has been granted to individuals with grave and incurable non-terminal illnesses. According to the DescLAB Laboratory, some 270 euthanasias were performed in 2023, almost 50% more than in 2022.
Canada legalized euthanasia in 2016 following a Supreme Court ruling that declared criminalization unconstitutional. In 2023, 15,343 people received medical assistance to die, which was 15.8% more than in the previous year and totalled 60,301 since 2016. Of these, 64.1% had cancer, with an average age of 77.6 years.
In Mexico, 20 of the 32 states have “advance directive” laws that permit the rejection of treatments, though active euthanasia remains prohibited by the General Health Law. A 2022 survey indicates that seven out of 10 Mexicans support euthanasia or medically assisted suicide.
Argentina passed Law 26,742 in 2012, authorizing terminal patients or individuals with irreversible diseases to refuse treatment, including food and hydration. However, it does not permit active euthanasia.
In Brazil, where euthanasia is considered homicide, the issue is not under public debate, and there are no signs that this will change in the medium term because it is not on the political agenda. In 2024, the writer and academic Antonio Cícero traveled to Switzerland to receive active euthanasia.
The project remains on hold in Chile
The bill that would allow people over 18 with terminal illnesses to die with dignity was approved by the Chamber of Representatives in 2021, but it remains stalled in the Senate. The latest Cadem survey reveals that 76% of the population supports it.
In Peru, psychologist Ana Estrada, who suffered from polymyositis, became the first person to receive euthanasia in 2024, following a favourable judicial ruling in 2022. In the same year, Ecuador decriminalized the procedure by decision of the Constitutional Court and ordered its regulation, with a woman from Guayaquil becoming the first person to access it.
In 2023, Cuba incorporated the right to a dignified death into its Public Health Law, along with procedures to end life. However, its application depends on secondary legislation still pending.
In Paraguay, active euthanasia is illegal and punishable by up to three years in prison. However, a palliative care law was approved in 2024 that guarantees patient autonomy over their treatments.
Guatemala maintains the prohibition of euthanasia and lacks ongoing initiatives. A legislative attempt in 2019 lost support in Congress, reflecting a largely conservative stance on this issue within society.
The legal framework surrounding active euthanasia in America remains fragmented, as few countries permit it, while many reject it for political or cultural reasons.
If Uruguay approves it, it will join Colombia and Canada as a regional leader, facing the challenges of ensuring palliative care, preventing abuses, and achieving ethical consensus. The outcome in Montevideo could influence other parliaments across the continent. EFE
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