Constitutional Court authorizes euthanasia in Ecuador

Quito, Feb 7 (Prensa Latina) Ecuador’s Constitutional Court (CC) approved on Wednesday a draft ruling for decriminalizing euthanasia, paving the way for the legalization of this procedure in the country. The ruling comes after Paola Roldan, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), requested authorization from CC for a dignified death.

February 7, 2024
16:47

In its ruling, CC points out that the right to life, understood as subsistence, is inviolable; however, in the case under analysis, the conduct of a physician would not be arbitrary and illegitimate, but would respond to the request of the owner of the legal right or his legal representative.

The constitutional authority states that physicians who perform euthanasia must not be sanctioned as long as the person expresses his unequivocal, free and informed consent, and the request responds to intense suffering resulting from a serious and irreversible bodily injury or a serious and incurable disease.

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