Ana Estrada, a psychologist in Peru, has become the first person in her country to die by euthanasia, according to her lawyer on Monday (April 22).
Ana Estrada, 47, had been battling an incurable disease that caused muscle weakness and left her bedridden for several years. Estrada had been involved in a lengthy legal battle in Peru’s courts to secure the right to die with dignity.
Her fight gained widespread attention in a country where conservative strands of Christianity strongly influence social norms, making discussions about death and dying through ‘unnatural ways’ a taboo topic.
Ana Estrada suffered from polymyositis, a disease that causes muscle wasting
In 2022, Ana Estrada was granted a special exception by Peru’s Supreme Court. The highest court in Peru upheld a decision by a lower court that granted Estrada the authority to determine when to end her life.
As an added safeguard for Estrada’s relatives, the court ruled that those who assisted her would not face punishment.
Estrada became the first person in Peru to secure the right to die with medical assistance. “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 lawyer, Josefina Miró Quesada, said in a statement. “Her struggle transcended our nation’s borders.”
Estrada was suffering from a disease called polymyositis that wastes away muscles. She first experienced symptoms as a teenager and began using a wheelchair at the age of 20 due to the loss of strength in her legs. Despite her condition, she pursued a psychology degree and became a therapist, eventually achieving financial independence.
By 2017, Estrada’s health had deteriorated to the point where she was unable to leave her bed. She experienced breathing difficulties and survived pneumonia. Due to her condition, she could not type and instead used transcription software to maintain a blog called “Ana for a Death with Dignity.”
With the assistance of Peru’s Human Rights Ombudsman, Estrada won a lawsuit in 2022 that granted her the right to die through euthanasia. Despite valuing life, she expressed a desire for the freedom to choose when to end her suffering.
“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.”
A handful of countries, including Canada, Belgium, and Spain, have legalized euthanasia. Euthanasia is illegal in most Latin American countries except for Colombia, and Ecuador.