Ecuador top court decriminalises euthanasia
Ecuador now allows doctors to help people die if they are suffering and want to end their lives peacefully. This decision comes after a vote by the country’s highest court, with seven out of nine judges in favour.
The court said that doctors won’t be charged with murder if they assist in ending a patient’s life to uphold their right to die with dignity.
The case was brought by a woman with ALS, a severe neurological disease, who told the court that she was in a lot of pain and wanted to die peacefully.
Most people in Ecuador are Catholic, and the Catholic Church strongly disagrees with euthanasia.
Colombia was the first country in Latin America to allow euthanasia back in 1997.
Paola Roldán, who has ALS and is bedridden, started the legal process in August to fight for her right to choose when she dies, according to the AFP news agency.