2024-09-28 08:12:40
With 21 votes in favor, the First Committee of the House of Representatives approved in the first debate the draft statutory law that seeks to regulate the exercise of the fundamental right to die with dignity under the modality of medically assisted euthanasia in Colombia.
The congressman of the Liberal Party, Juan Carlos Losada, who leads the initiative, highlighted the importance of this legislative advance. “It is necessary to pay off this 27-year debt that we owe to the country,” said Losada, referring to the years of struggle to guarantee this right. Furthermore, the representative pointed out that “many times more legislation is legislated with the Bible than with the Constitution, and that is a serious mistake because rights that have already been acquired end up being denied.”
Key points of the bill
The project contemplates several important regulations. Among them, it is established that Euthanasia cannot be performed on children under 14 years of age. Likewise, it is required that, within a period of six months, a catalog be delivered with the names of the doctors who practice conscientious objection, thus allowing greater control over those who choose not to perform this type of procedures for personal or reasons. ethics.
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Opposition and debate
During the debate, some congressmen from parties such as the Democratic Center and the Conservative Party expressed their disagreement with the project. José Jaime Uscátegui, representative for Bogotá, was one of the most critical voices. “The issue of palliative care is not being worked in depth in departments such as Putumayo, Arauca and San Andrés. That is, the State is failing,” said Uscátegui, who also insisted that the discussion should include a reflection on the beliefs of millions of Colombians.
Uscátegui stressed the importance of the debate being “technical, but also transparent and sincere,” and asked that the moral and religious dimension of the issue be taken into account.
Panorama actual
According to the Ministry of Health, only six out of every 15 euthanasia requests are approved in Colombiaand the majority of cases correspond to patients with some type of cancer. The country has been a pioneer in the region in terms of rights related to euthanasia. In 2022, Colombia decriminalized medically assisted suicide for people suffering from serious and incurable illnesses, marking a milestone in the rights of terminally ill patients.
What’s next
The bill must pass three more debates before becoming law. In the coming days, Congress will continue discussing the regulation of this right, in what promises to be a complex debate that will touch on legal, medical, ethical and religious aspects.
Although euthanasia has been legally permitted in Colombia since 1997, its regulation has not yet been approved in the Congress of the Republic despite the fact that in recent years nearly 16 initiatives have been presented.
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