Euthanasia Approved by Ecuador’s Constitutional Court
Ecuador Decriminalizes Euthanasia for Terminally Ill Patients
The Constitutional Court of Ecuador has made a landmark decision to decriminalize euthanasia in cases involving terminally ill patients. This decision came as a result of the court handling the application of a terminally ill patient, making Ecuador the second Latin American country to approve this procedure.
Seven out of the nine judges on the Constitutional Court jury voted in favor of decriminalizing euthanasia in these cases. As a result of this decision, doctors will no longer face imprisonment for assisting terminally incurable patients in choosing euthanasia.
The court emphasized that the penalty of murder should not be imposed on a doctor who performs active euthanasia in order to protect the right to a dignified life. The lawsuit that led to this decision was filed by Paola Roldan, a patient suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurological disorder. Roldan objected to an article in the Ecuadorian criminal code that considers euthanasia as murder and provides for a prison sentence of 10 to 13 years.
In her statement to the court, Roldan expressed her desire to die in peace, highlighting the pain, loneliness, and cruelty she endured due to her condition. She stated, “I want to die in peace. What I went through is painful, lonely, and cruel. This is not a battle to die. I know I will die, this is just a struggle on how to die.”
The court’s decision highlights the importance of not imposing an obligation on someone in Roldan’s situation to survive. This ruling marks a significant step forward for the rights of terminally ill patients in Ecuador.
Colombia was the first Latin American country to approve euthanasia back in 1997. With Ecuador now joining this legislation, it signifies a growing acceptance and recognition of the rights of terminally ill individuals in the region.
