International News: Ecuador becomes second Latin American state to decriminalize euthanasia

By Zoila Palma Gonzalez: Ecuador has become the second country in Latin America after Colombia to decriminalize euthanasia.

Ecuador’s constitutional court voted seven to two in favor of allowing doctors to help a patient die.

The court said the crime of homicide would no longer apply to clinicians working to preserve the right to a dignified life.

According to the BBC, the suit was brought by a woman suffering from a neurological disease known as ALS.

Last November, the patient said that she was experiencing pain, loneliness and cruelty, and wanted to rest in peace.

Meanwhile, the Catholic church remains opposed to euthanasia.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common form of motor neurone disease, a rare condition that progressively damages parts of the nervous system, leading to muscle weakness, often with visible wasting.

“I want to rest in peace,” she told a court hearing in November via video link. 

“What I experience is painful, lonely and cruel,” the patient said. 

“Every human being can make free and informed decisions when their personal development is affected which… includes the option of ending the intense suffering caused by a serious and irreversible bodily injury or a serious and incurable illness,” the court said. 

Officials in the country will now draft a bill to be approved by congress.

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Belize ~ We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages. Your content is delivered instantly to thousands of users in Belize and abroad! Contact us at mаrkеtіng@brеаkіngbеlіzеnеwѕ.соm or call us at 501-601-0315.

© 2024, BreakingBelizeNews.com. Content is copyrighted and requires written permission for reprinting in online or print media. Theft of content without permission/payment is punishable by law.