In February of this year, Maria Teresa Benito Orihuela, a 66-year-old Peruvian woman suffering from advanced amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, obtained a court sentence to end her life in a “dignified way”. However, the 12 doctors at Edgardo Rebagliati Hospital have refused to disconnect the external respirator that keeps her alive, citing religious freedom and conscientious objection. The hospital where Orihuela is hospitalized has been ordered by the Peruvian court to find a doctor who is willing to turn off the devices.
Orihuela’s lawyers sued the court again in an attempt to force compliance with the first decision. The Superior Court of Justice of Lima ruled that Peru’s public health insurer, EsSalud, must present a doctor who agrees to disconnect the equipment by May 7th. Orihuela’s case follows in the footsteps of Ana Estrada, who died on April 21st after fighting a legal battle for euthanasia in Peru. Estrada also suffered from a degenerative disease and became the first case of legal euthanasia in Peru.
The decisions made in Estrada’s case were controversial and sparked concerns from Latin American countries about legalizing euthanasia. The Peruvian Episcopal Conference expressed opposition to euthanasia as it is considered an attack on the right to life. Other Latin American countries such as Ecuador and Cuba have also made strides towards legalizing euthanasia. Ecuador legalized assisted suicide in February while Cuba approved it as part of their new Cuban Public Health Law in December. Colombia has allowed euthanasia since 1997 but was only regulated until 2015. Hospitals in Colombia now perform assisted suicide on terminally ill patients.[ ]