Uruguay became the first Latin American country to legalize assisted suicide via Congress as the Senate passed the “dignified death” bill on Wednesday.
The bill, which had been under debate for eight years, was supported by ruling party Frente Amplio (FA) and lawmakers from the Colorado Party (PN), and the National Party (PN). The bill was passed with 20 votes out of 31.
While euthanasia is legal in several countries although with varying conditions and under specific circumstances Uruguay became the first nation in the region to make assisted death not only legal but also regulated through a bill approved by Congress. Within the region, the right to assisted dying and its practice have been secured, but only through court rulings.
Colombia was the first to legalize assisted dying in Latin America through the Constitutional Court’s decision in 1997 and its subsequent incorporation into general regulations through resolutions of the health ministry. The Uruguayan Congress is now the first to actually vote on a law on the matter, five years after its initial push in the chamber and a failed attempt in 2022.
The Uruguayan law states that people with terminal, incurable, and irreversible illnesses can opt for assisted death, provided they have given their express and repeated consent. The initiative was reintroduced earlier this year, pushed by the FA and part of the opposition.
The bill had been passed by the lower house last August with 64 votes out of 93. During the Senate session, FA senator Daniel Borbonet asked his colleagues “to trust those of us who have lived through this experience” and said that the bill “does not force anyone” to undergo euthanasia, but rather “offers an alternative that currently doesn’t exist.”
“The law will not cause an increase in death wishes. The law will alleviate the anguish of all those who have lived through similar experiences and will make that part of their lives more dignified, human beings more free, and the Uruguayan state more democratic,” Borbonet stated.
-With information from mbito
