The legalization of euthanasia is currently being promoted with more intensity in different parts of the world. In recent years it has been legalized in some countries such as Holland, Belgium, Canada, and Colombia, among others. For this, euthanasia was sold as a “dignified death”, where the right to decide and avoid suffering is respected. However, this only hides the fact that the State would allow helping to kill people rather than support them in a difficult phase of their life.
Euthanasia law has unsuccessfully been proposed repeatedly in Peru. Last year the request to legalize euthanasia for people with terminal illnesses or incurable diseases was presented in bill number 6976, so euthanasia wouldn’t be considered a pious homicide by the penal code.
Along with the presentation of this bill, the case of Ana Estrada appeared. Ana is a 45-year-old woman who requests to be euthanized because she suffers from polymyositis, a degenerative and incurable disease that weakens her muscles and makes it impossible for her to move naturally. Clearly, this case became famous as it was spread all over the media. Many Peruvian television channels gave it coverage because they usually support proposals against life such as abortion and euthanasia.
To date, euthanasia remains illegal but Ana Estrada’s case has advanced much further. On July 27, 2022, the Judiciary ruled in favor of this case and Ana’s euthanasia procedure took place. Definitely, this ruling marks a historical milestone in the search for the decriminalization of euthanasia in Peru.
This sentence violates the constitutional right of life because the Peruvian Constitution mentions that the life of the human person must be respected from conception to natural death. Definitely, Euthanasia is not a natural death and seeks to interrupt life through murder.
This ideological decision was prepared with the intention of generating controversy and promoting the search for a new right that does not respect human dignity.
It is the first time that the State granted euthanasia to a Peruvian citizen, however, we must not be discouraged and allow euthanasia to be legalized. In this way, society would be accepting that the lives of the elderly and people with incurable diseases are not worth the same as the lives of other citizens.
It is important to highlight that previously, some organizations expressed their position against euthanasia. The Medical Association of Peru was one of them and mentioned that people must be accompanied in the final period of their life with due respect for their dignity.
Just as the Medical College of Peru raised its voice, we must too. Let us seek to defend life in different environments and let’s not wait for the bill to be presented again in Congress. We must express our position against euthanasia in our family, work, or place of study.
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