A Peruvian psychologist, afflicted by an incurable illness weakening her muscle tissues and confining her to her mattress for several years, passed away via euthanasia, according to her attorney on Monday. She became the inaugural individual in the nation to secure the authorization to opt for medically assisted death.
Ana Estrada ardently contested in Peruvian courts for the privilege to end her life with dignity, garnering significant attention in the conservative country where euthanasia and assisted suicide remain illegal.
In 2022, the Supreme Court of Peru made an unprecedented exception, upholding a prior ruling by a lower court that granted Estrada the autonomy to determine the timing of her demise. Moreover, the court decreed that individuals aiding her would not face repercussions. Consequently, Estrada marked the first instance of obtaining the right to die with medical assistance in Peru.
“Ana’s battle for her right to die with dignity has served to enlighten thousands of Peruvians regarding this entitlement and the crucial need to safeguard it,” remarked her lawyer, Josefina Miró Quesada, in a statement. “Her struggle transcended the boundaries of our nation.”
Ana Estrada, a Peruvian psychologist afflicted by a debilitating terminal illness, conducted an interview from her residence in Lima, Peru, on December 18, 2019. Estrada, who gained approval from Peru’s Supreme Court in 2022 for euthanasia, has passed away, as confirmed by her attorney on Monday, April 22, 2024.
At 47, Estrada battled polymyositis, a disease causing muscle wastage with no known cure. Her struggles began in adolescence, leading her to rely on a wheelchair by the age of 20 due to the loss of mobility. Despite these challenges, she pursued a psychology degree, becoming a therapist, purchasing her own home, and achieving independence from her parents.
However, by 2017, Estrada’s condition deteriorated significantly, confining her to her bed. Enduring breathing difficulties and surviving pneumonia, she utilized transcription software to maintain a blog titled “Ana for a Death with Dignity,” documenting her hardships and decision to pursue euthanasia, despite being unable to type.
In a 2018 interview with the Associated Press, she expressed, “I am not free. I am not the same person I was before.”
Assisted by Peru’s Human Rights Ombudsman, Estrada won a legal battle securing her right to euthanasia. Despite her physical limitations, she participated in court proceedings via video conferences. In 2022, she conveyed to judges her appreciation for life but asserted her desire for the autonomy to choose the timing of her death.
“I want to access euthanasia when I can no longer endure suffering in life,” she stated. “And when I decide to bid farewell to my loved ones in peace and tranquility.”
While only a few nations, including Canada, Belgium, and Spain, have legalized euthanasia, some U.S. states like Maine and Oregon permit physician-assisted suicide. Conversely, euthanasia remains illegal in most Latin American countries, with exceptions like Colombia, which legalized it in 2015, and Ecuador, which decriminalized the practice in February.
