47-year-old Ana Estrada has lived for the past three decades with a rare and incurable condition called polymyositis – a simultaneous inflammation of several muscles – which causes muscle weakness. She was bedridden and needed a ventilator to breathe.
The woman died on Sunday, said her lawyer, Josefina Miro Quesada, in a message published on the X social network.
Estrada, a psychologist by profession, went to court in 2016 to fight for the right to euthanasia, which is illegal in Peru. In 2022, the Latin American country’s Supreme Court upheld a ruling that granted Ana a waiver to end her life.
“Ana left us grateful to all the people who helped her make herself heard, who stood by her side in this fight and who supported her decision unconditionally, with love,” said lawyer Miro Quesada.
Euthanasia is illegal in most countries, including Peru, a predominantly Roman Catholic nation. Latin American countries such as Colombia, Ecuador and Cuba have allowed this practice under certain conditions.
In an interview with Reuters after winning in court, Estrada said she hoped her case would set a legal precedent for the right to assisted suicide. Under Peruvian law, assisting someone’s suicide and killing a terminally ill patient are punishable by prison terms.
Although the Supreme Court decision did not legalize assisted death, it exempted the doctor who provided Ana with the medicine that ended her life from any punishment.
“There will come a time when I will no longer be able to write or express myself,” Estrada said at the time. “My body is failing, but my mind and soul are happy. I want the last moments of my life to be exactly like this,” she added.
Photo: Profimedia Images
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Tags: Woman Peru Died Euthanasia Years Fighting Death Dignity
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