Peruvian Psychologist Ana Estrada Becomes First Person to Die by Legal Euthanasia in Peru

Ana Estrada, a 47-year-old Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and left her bedridden for several years, long became the first person in Peru to die by legal euthanasia on Sunday, April 21, 2024. Estrada's lawyer, Josefina Miró Quesada, confirmed that Estrada underwent the euthanasia process and died, marking a significant development in the ongoing debate around end-of-life issues in Peru.

Estrada had been fighting for years in Peruvian courts for the right to die with dignity. In 2022, the nation's Supreme Court granted her an exception, upholding a lower court's ruling that gave her the right to decide when to end her life. The court also stated that those who helped her would not be punished, as euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal in the conservative country.

Estrada suffered from polymyositis, a rare and incurable degenerative illness that wasted away her muscles. By 2017, her condition had worsened to the point where she could no longer get up from her bed. With the help of Peru's Human Rights Ombudsman, Estrada won a lawsuit that gave her the right to die with euthanasia. She participated in court sessions through video conferences and used transcription software to produce a blog discussing her struggles and decision to seek euthanasia.

Why this matters: Estrada's case has been seen as a landmark decision in the debate over the right to die with dignity in Peru. Her struggle to obtain the right to die with medical assistance has helped educate thousands of Peruvians about this issue and has had an impact beyond the country's borders.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal in most Latin American countries, with the exceptions of Colombia, which legalized it in 2015, and Ecuador, which decriminalized the practice in February 2024. Only a handful of countries worldwide, including Canada, Belgium, and Spain, have legalized euthanasia.

Miró Quesada said that Estrada had left them "grateful to all the people who helped give her a voice, who were with her through this fight and who supported her decision unconditionally, with love." Estrada's case has set a legal precedent for the right to assisted suicide in Peru, where assisting someone's suicide and killing a terminally ill patient are punishable with prison time. While the Supreme Court ruling did not legalize assisted dying, it exempted the doctor who supplied the drug to end Estrada's life from any punishment.

Key Takeaways

• Ana Estrada, a Peruvian psychologist, died by legal euthanasia in 2024.
• Estrada suffered from an incurable disease that left her bedridden for years.
• Peru's Supreme Court granted Estrada the right to decide when to end her life.
• Euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal in most Latin American countries.
• Estrada's case set a legal precedent for the right to assisted suicide in Peru.