Uruguay breaks religious taboo with Latin America’s first euthanasia law

Uruguay’s Senate approved a landmark bill decriminalizing euthanasia, placing the South American nation among a select group of countries where terminally ill patients can legally seek medical assistance to end their lives.

The move makes Uruguay the first country in predominantly Catholic Latin America to legalise euthanasia through legislation. Colombia and Ecuador previously decriminalised the practice via Supreme Court rulings, as reported by El Pais.

The law, debated for over five years, passed its final stage as 20 out of 31 senators voted in favour on October 15. The lower house had already approved the measure in August with broad support. Implementation of the regulations is now the final step before the law takes effect.

“We all believe and feel that life is a right, both in health and in sickness, but it should never be an obligation because others don’t understand such unbearable suffering,” Sen. Daniel Borbonet said, quoting testimonies from Uruguayan patients with irreversible conditions.

The issue has sparked intense debate and activism across the region in recent years.

“Public opinion is asking us to take this on,” said Sen. Patricia Kramer of Uruguay’s governing leftist coalition during the session in Montevideo.

Opposition to the legislation came primarily from the Catholic Church. Ahead of the vote, Daniel Sturla, the Archbishop of Montevideo, urged citizens “to defend the gift of life and to remember that every person deserves to be cared for, accompanied and supported until the end.”

However, Uruguay’s deeply secular character has weakened religious resistance. The nation of 3.5 million prohibits references to God in official oaths and refers to Christmas as “Family Day.”

Government officials hailed the passage as further proof of Uruguay’s progressive reputation. The country has long been a pioneer in Latin America, being the first in the world to legalise recreational marijuana and among the earliest to pass same-sex marriage and abortion laws.

Unlike euthanasia laws in the US, Australia, and New Zealand—which restrict eligibility to patients with a life expectancy of six months to a year—Uruguay’s legislation imposes no time limit. It allows individuals suffering from incurable illnesses that cause “unbearable suffering” to request assisted death, even if their condition is not terminal. However, unlike in Belgium, Colombia, or the Netherlands, minors will not be eligible.

Assisted dying worldwide

Across Europe, six countries permit some form of assisted dying: Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, and Austria. In all of them, eligibility extends beyond those with terminal illnesses, unlike proposals currently being debated in England and Wales.

Switzerland was the first country to recognise a “right to die” in 1942, legalising assisted suicide. It remains one of the few nations allowing foreigners to also access such services through organisations like Dignitas in Zurich.

Several US states and regions in Australia also permit assisted dying under specific conditions, as does Canada. The latter, however, has become a focal point for critics who cite it as an example of a “slippery slope”, as an article by the BBC points out. Initially limited to terminally ill patients only, Canada’s 2021 amendment expanded eligibility to people with irreversible illnesses or disabilities. As a result, four in every 100 deaths in Canada are now medically assisted.

By Nazrin Sadigova