Overview
- The new law grants a legal right to receive assistance to “transcurrir dignamente el proceso de morir,” establishing a framework for assisted death in Uruguay.
- Applicants must be 18 or older, be Uruguayan citizens or legal residents, face a terminal condition or intolerable suffering with severe quality-of-life decline, and be deemed psychologically capable to decide.
- The initiative was introduced in 2020 by deputy Ope Pasquet of Partido Colorado and won approval after around 12 hours of debate in Parliament.
- Supporters portray the measure as an expansion of individual autonomy, while critics warn about insufficient safeguards, including the absence of a mandated psychological or psychiatric evaluation highlighted by ethicists.
- Regional context remains contested, with some labeling Uruguay the first in Latin America to legislate euthanasia and others noting Colombia and Ecuador allow it through court rulings, as Mexico continues to prohibit the practice despite advance directives and public opinion showing divided views.