Ana Estrada, a psychologist from Peru, developed an incurable disease, 'Polymyositis', at the age of 47. This disease weakened her muscles and left her bedridden for many days.
In the teenage, she developed her first symptom of Polymyositis because of while she was not able to walk on her own and was compelled to use a wheelchair at the age of 20.
Despite her condition, Ana obtained her degree in psychology and became a professional therapist. She earned plenty amount of money to buy her own apartment and become independent from her parents.
Estrada’s condition worsened by 2017 and she was completely bedridden. She suffered from breathing difficulties and pneumonia. She was not able to type but she used transcription software and produced a blog named “Ana for a Death with Dignity,”. She discussed her struggles and her wish to seek euthanasia in this blog.
Euthanasia is defined as the practice of ending the life of a patient to limit the patient's suffering. It is illegal in most Latin American countries except for Colombia, where Euthanasia was legalized in 2015, and Ecuador, where it was decriminalized in February.
Very few countries have legalized Euthanasia, like Canada, Belgium and Spain. In Maine and Oregon, physician-assisted suicide is allowed, where a physician provides a terminally ill patient with the means to end their life.
Ana took the help of Peru’s Human Rights Ombudsman, and she won a case that gave her the right to die with dignity.
In a video conference with the judges in 2022, Estrada told them that she valued life, and did not want to die immediately, but wanted to have the freedom to decide when to end her life.
She participated in court sessions through video conferences from her bed only.
I want to accede to euthanasia when I can no longer sustain suffering in life. And when I decide to bid farewell to my loved ones in peace and with tranquility.
Ana Estrada
After years of fighting in Peruvian courts, Ana Estrada was granted an exception by Peru's Supreme Court in 2022, which upheld a ruling by a lower court that gave her the right to decide when to end her life, and said that those who helped her would not be punished.
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.
Josefina Miró Quesada, Ana's lawyer
Ana Estrada became the first person to obtain the right to die with medical assistance in Peru.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Dr. Pragati Priya/MSM)
