Peruvian psychologist, Ana Estrada, bedridden for years due to an incurable muscle disease, was euthanised, her lawyer said on Monday. She is the first person allowed to die like this in Peru.
For many years, Estrada fought in Peruvian courts for the right to die with dignity.
Peruvian psychologist, Ana Estrada, bedridden for years due to an incurable muscle disease, was euthanised, her lawyer said on Monday. She is the first person allowed to die like this in Peru.
For many years, Estrada fought in Peruvian courts for the right to die with dignity, the daily El Comercio reported. In Peru, euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal.
In 2021, however, the court made an exception for Estrada, and a year later this decision was confirmed by the Supreme Court. According to the ruling, people who helped her end her life will not be prosecuted. Euthanasia was performed on Sunday.
“Ana died on her own terms, in a way that was consistent with her idea of dignity,” said a statement published by her lawyer, Josefina Miro Quesada.
“Ana’s fight for the right to die with dignity made it possible to sensitise thousands of Peruvians to the importance of defending this right. Her fight went beyond the borders of our country,” it was assessed.
Estrada, 47, suffered from polymyositis, an incurable disease that weakens muscles. She had breathing problems, and although she was unable to type, she used special software to write a blog where she described her struggle, the Associated Press reported.
AP reports that euthanasia is legal only in a few countries in the world, including Canada, Belgium and Spain. In Latin America, it was legalised only in Colombia, in 2015, and in Ecuador, in February this year.
