Uruguay’s Senate on Wednesday passed a law decriminalizing euthanasia, making the South American nation one of a handful of other countries where terminally ill patients can legally receive help to end their lives.
This makes Uruguay the first country in predominantly Catholic Latin America to allow euthanasia through legislation. Colombia and Ecuador decriminalized the practice through Supreme Court rulings.
In Chile, leftist President Gabriel Boric recently revived the push to pass a euthanasia bill that had long stalled in the Senate. Wild debates and spirited activism surrounding the practice have engulfed the region in recent years.
The legislation, which has been moving forward for the past five years, cleared a final hurdle on Wednesday when 20 of 31 senators voted in favor of it.
The Chamber of Deputies approved the bill by a large majority in August.
Most of the opposition to euthanasia in Uruguay comes from the Catholic Church. But secularization has eroded opposition to the practice in the country of 3.5 million, which bans any mention of God in oaths of office and calls Christmas “Family Day.”
The approval of the law cements Uruguay’s reputation as one of the most socially liberal in the region. The country was the first in the world to legalize marijuana for recreational use and more than a decade ago passed groundbreaking legislation allowing same-sex marriage and abortion.
