Peru’s Supreme Court approves euthanasia for the first time

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – For the first time in the country’s history, Peru’s Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a request for euthanasia. The Peruvian Ombudsman announced Thursday (14) that it was still necessary to approve the action protocol to carry out the procedure, calling the decision “historic.”

The request was made by 45-year-old Ana Estrada. She has lived with polymyositis since she was 12 years old. The disease is characterized by progressive inflammation of the muscles. It causes pain, weakness and difficulty in movement. Today, the Peruvian woman spends most of her time on an artificial respirator.

In February 2021, the judiciary approved the procedure in the first instance. According to the Ombudsman, four votes are required for a judicial decision to become final. This was the case when the Supreme Court Justice, Augusto Ruidias Farfán, voted in favor of the request.

On her Twitter profile, the Peruvian celebrated the decision of Ruidias Farfán, declaring that “justice has triumphed” and “the right to autonomy and freedom” has won.

“Every conquest of a right comes from a need of the ordinary citizen, never that of the rulers,” she wrote. “This fight is feminist: to have sole power of decision over my body. So thank you, fellow women. To those who paved the way and even gave their lives for the rights we now take for granted.”

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