Ana Estrada was 47 years old and suffered from polymyositis, a rare and degenerative disease that she suffered from for years. After years of struggle, he agreed to euthanasia for the first time in Peru.
“On Sunday, April 21, 2024, Ana Estrada exercised her fundamental right to a dignified death and consented to the medical procedure of euthanasia,” reported her lawyer Josefina Miró Quesada in a statement published on X (Twitter).
Ana, an activist and psychologist, “He died on his own terms, in accordance with his idea of dignity and in full control of his autonomy until the end.”
Courtesy of Ana Estrada
Ana Estrada fought for euthanasia in Peru for years
The Ana Estrada case prompted the Peruvian judicial system for the first time to consider the possibility of euthanasia, although this procedure is punishable by up to three years in prison.
In July 2022, Peru’s Supreme Court ratified the February 2021 ruling by a Lima court granting Estrada the right to die.
Since the age of twelve, Estrada suffered from incurable polio, which caused progressive muscle weakness. That’s why he had to use a wheelchair from the age of 20.
In 2015, he began having difficulty breathing and swallowing. She underwent a tracheostomy and a gastrostomy. As a result, she lost her autonomy and was placed in the care of nurses.
In 2019, she opened her blog “Ana Seeks a Dignified Death” and called on Peruvian authorities to provide access to euthanasia.
Courtesy of Ana Estrada
Ana shared photos from her youth with PlayGround: “I had already lost strength, so I always go out with someone supporting me.”
At one point, Ana was so depressed that she wanted to commit suicide. That’s why he fought so hard to gain access to euthanasia.
Suicide is usually viewed as something destructive, Ana said, but her fight is not for destruction, but for the love of life and the freedom to choose it.
Her fight made history in Peru when the Supreme Court approved her euthanasia in July 2022. On Sunday, April 21, 2024, Ana Estrada exercised her fundamental right to a dignified death
In Latin America, euthanasia has been decriminalized in Colombia (1997) and, as of this year, in Ecuador. Uruguay, Chile and Cuba are discussing the issue, while Mexico has the “good death” law, which allows the patient or his family to request that life not be prolonged by artificial means.
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