THE Colombian Constitutional Court approved physician-assisted suicide in a decision on Wednesday night (11). Advocates say Colombia becomes the first Latin American country to allow death by suicide for those suffering from serious or incurable illnesses.
Euthanasia – when a patient chooses to die in a procedure where medical staff is present – has been legal in Colombia since 1997. In January of this year, it was used for the first time by a person suffering from a non-terminal illness.
The decision on assisted suicide – when a person takes steps to end their own life after consulting a doctor – comes after Colombian right-to-death group DescLAB filed a lawsuit, arguing that criminalizing those who help others with suicide violates people’s right to a dignified death and access to medical care.
The decision – supported by six of the nine judges – requires patients to meet the already established standards for euthanasia: they must be diagnosed with a serious or incurable injury or illness that causes intense physical or mental pain that they consider incompatible with a dignified life.
Patients must also express their desire to commit suicide and obtain assistance from a physician.
“It is a new mechanism that, together with euthanasia, allows us to access a free, safe and accompanied medically assisted death,” said DescLAB Research Director Lucas Correa in a video.
“It is a decisive step for our country to consolidate itself as one of the most advanced in the world in terms of the right to die with dignity,” added Correa.
People who encourage or help someone to commit suicide to end the disease can currently be sentenced to between 16 and 36 months in prison in Colombia.
About 127 investigations into this crime have been conducted since 2010 and August last year, DescLAB said.
Switzerland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Canada, Australia, Spain, Germany and some US states also allow medically assisted suicide.
Source: CNN Brasil
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