He Congress of Chile The procedure of the Euthanasia bill, LI go that the Senate Health Commission, where it was stagnant since December 2024, gave the green light so that the Upper House begins to discuss the proposal.
“We are very pleased that the idea of legislating has been approved, because the Chileans are prepared to deliver a responsible and serious debate regarding the issue of euthanasia,” said the Minister of Health, Ximena Aguilera, who added that he hopes that the project will be approved in the final stretch of this government, in March of next year.
The current project, based on the fusion of four parliamentary initiatives presented between 2011 and 2018, establishes that every person who wants to request assisted death must be over 18 years old, be “conscious and lucid”, have a “serious and incurable” disease or be in a “terminal” state – which will have to define the Ministry of Health under concrete criteria – and that this causes suffering in a “persistent, intolerable and without possible relief” way.
The patient’s diagnosis should be confirmed by two specialist doctors And, in addition, it must be complemented by a psychiatrist who proves that the person is mentally suitable for making this decision.
A technical commission will be in charge of evaluating each case, conscientious objection will be regulated and a rule will be set to protect the right to regret at any time.
The project was stagnant in the Health Commission Since December 2024, but during the public account of last year Congress Chilean President Gabriel Boric publicly announced his willingness to expedite the processing.
However, according to the local press, the “urgency” to the project has been removed and renewed more than 30 occasions by the government, without substantive advances.
The parliamentary discussion is expected to be complex because the ruling party has no majority in Congress, the right rejects the proposal – vocated against the Health Commission – and the weight could fall on the support of the democristians.
In the South American country there have been cases of high public connotation related to the “dignified death” such as that of the adolescent Valentina Maureira, who in 2014 asked the former president Michelle Bachelet (2006-2010 and 2014-2018) to authorize euthanasia to end the suffering that caused the cystic fibrosis she suffered.
Also that of the doctor Manuel Almeyda Medina, an ex -ademic Affected by several diseases that sent a letter to the Medical College to legislate on the subject.
In Latin America, only two countries – Colombia and Ecuador – have legislated regarding assisted death, always with complex discussions for being at stake valorical principles.
According to several surveys, in Chile there is a consensus of more than half of the population so that there is a law that regulates euthanasia.
