A Peruvian psychologist, plagued by an incurable ailment debilitating her muscles, passed away through euthanasia, according to her legal representative on Monday. This event marks the first case in Peru where an individual has secured the privilege to opt for assisted death.
Ana Estrada, amid battling her disease which left her bedridden for several years, dedicated herself to advocating for the right to choose one’s end with dignity. Despite the staunch conservatism regarding euthanasia and assisted suicide in the nation, Estrada persisted in her legal pursuit.
In 2022, Estrada received an extraordinary concession from Peru’s Supreme Court. The court validated a prior ruling by a lower judicial body, granting Estrada the authority to determine the timing of her demise, with assurances that those aiding her would not face legal repercussions. This landmark decision made Estrada the first one to attain the right to die with medical support in Peru.
Josefina Miró Quesada, Estrada’s legal counsel, highlighted the profound impact of Estrada’s crusade, stating, “Ana’s struggle for her right to die with dignity has helped to educate thousands of Peruvians about this right and the importance of defending it. Her struggle transcended our nation’s borders.”
Estrada, aged 47, battled polymyositis, an incurable affliction causing muscular degeneration. Afflicted since her teenage years, she relied on a wheelchair from the age of 20 due to the progressive loss of mobility. Despite these obstacles Estrada obtained a psychology degree and became a therapist. She earned enough money to buy her own apartment and became independent from her parents.
By 2017 however, Estrada’s condition worsened and she could no longer get up from her bed. She had difficulty breathing and survived pneumonia. And even though she could not type, Estrada used transcription software to produce a blog called “Ana for a death with dignity,” where she discussed her struggles and her decision to seek euthanasia.
“I am no longer free,” she said in an interview with the Associated Press in 2018. “I am not the same person I was before.”
With the help of Peru’s Human Rights Ombudsman, Estrada won a lawsuit that gave her the right to die with euthanasia. From her bed, she participated in court sessions through video conferences. Estrada told judges in 2022 that she valued life, and did not want to die immediately, but wanted to have the freedom to decide when to end her life.
“I want to accede to euthanasia when I can no longer sustain suffering in life,” she said. “And when I decide to bid farewell to my loved ones in peace and with tranquility.”
Only a handful of countries have legalized euthanasia, including Canada, Belgium and Spain. Some U.S. states including Maine and Oregon allow physician-assisted suicide, where a doctor provides a terminally ill patient with the means to end life. Euthanasia is illegal in most Latin American countries, except for Colombia, which legalized it in 2015 and Ecuador, which decriminalized the practice in February.
