**Uruguay’s Senate Passes Law Decriminalizing Euthanasia**
*MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP)* — Uruguay’s senate passed a law decriminalizing euthanasia on Wednesday, placing the South American nation among a select group of countries where seriously ill patients can legally obtain assistance to end their lives.
Colombia and Ecuador have decriminalized euthanasia through Supreme Court rulings. In neighboring Chile, left-wing President Gabriel Boric recently revived efforts to approve an euthanasia bill that had long been stalled in the Senate. Fierce debates and passionate activism around euthanasia have gripped the region in recent years.
“Public opinion is asking us to take this on,” Sen. Patricia Kramer of Uruguay’s governing leftist coalition told lawmakers in the country’s capital, Montevideo.
The new law, which has progressed amid intermittent challenges over the past five years, cleared its final legislative hurdle on Wednesday with 20 out of 31 senators voting in favor. The lower house had approved the bill back in August by a large majority. The only remaining step is for the government to implement the necessary regulations.
During the debate, senators from the ruling Broad Front coalition delivered impassioned defenses of the right to die, comparing the euthanasia movement to previous social reforms such as the legalization of divorce and same-sex marriage.
“We all believe and feel that life is a right, both in health and in sickness, but it should never be an obligation because others don’t understand such unbearable suffering,” Sen. Daniel Borbonet said, quoting testimonies from Uruguayan patients enduring irreversible medical conditions.
Most opposition to euthanasia in Uruguay came from the Catholic Church. Before the vote, Daniel Sturla, the archbishop of Montevideo, urged Uruguayans “to defend the gift of life and to remember that every person deserves to be cared for, accompanied and supported until the end.”
However, secularization has gradually eroded resistance to the practice in this country of 3.5 million people. Uruguay bans any mention of God in oaths of office and officially refers to Christmas as “Family Day.”
Officials praised the law’s passage as a reinforcement of Uruguay’s reputation as one of the most socially liberal countries in the region. The nation was the first in the world to legalize marijuana for recreational use and passed pioneering legislation legalizing same-sex marriage and abortion over a decade ago.
“This is a historic event, which places Uruguay at the forefront in addressing deeply human and sensitive issues,” said Vice President Carolina Cosse.
The new legislation permits euthanasia, which must be performed by a healthcare professional, but does not allow assisted suicide, where a patient self-administers a lethal dose of prescribed medication.
Unlike euthanasia laws in U.S. states, Australia, and New Zealand—which typically restrict eligibility to patients with a life expectancy of six months to a year—Uruguay sets no time limits. It also does not require a waiting period and allows anyone suffering from an incurable illness that causes “unbearable suffering” to seek assisted death, even if their condition is not terminal.
Uruguay requires that individuals seeking euthanasia be mentally competent. While the law does not explicitly ban euthanasia for patients with mental health conditions such as depression, it mandates that two doctors must determine the patient is psychologically fit to make the decision.
Unlike Belgium, Colombia, and the Netherlands, Uruguay will not permit euthanasia for minors.
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*This progressive legislation marks a significant milestone for Uruguay, continuing its legacy as a leader in social reform across Latin America.*
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/regional-uruguay-passes-law-allowing-euthanasia-126568859