Uruguay’s Senate has given final approval to a law legalizing euthanasia, five years after it first began discussions. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 20 to 11, confirming an earlier House decision approved in August by a vote of 64 to 29. The vote means the law is fully authorized, pending regulation by the executive branch before it can go into effect.
Uruguay has now become the first Latin American country to legalize euthanasia by vote in its parliament. The decision sparked a heated national debate over ethics, morality, and the value of life.
The bill faces strong opposition from Catholics, evangelicals and other conservative groups who say life is a sacred gift and suffering should be addressed with palliative care rather than assisted dying.
In August, the Council of Evangelical Representatives of Uruguay (CREU) released a video message from its president-elect, Reverend Rauder Garabedian, declaring: “The Evangelical Alliance has a clear and firm message on euthanasia. We categorically say no to euthanasia and no to accelerating the process of death.”
Garabedian added: “Palliative care is a transformative tool that brings dignity to people who suffer, even in the midst of terminal illness.”
The bill, introduced by ruling party lawmaker Frente Amprio, aims to “regulate and guarantee the right of individuals to experience the process of dying with dignity, under circumstances of their own choosing.” The scheme grants a “painless, peaceful and respectful” death to patients who meet strict criteria, including being an adult, mentally competent, suffering from a terminal, incurable condition or “unbearable pain”.
Frente Amplio senator Daniel Borbone defended the bill, saying: “It is not a crime to live with dignity in the face of the final stages of life, an incurable and irreversible disease with excruciating pain and a serious reduction in quality of life. No one should be punished for choosing dignity.”
This position contrasts with Christian teachings that life should be cherished and protected from conception to natural death.
Elsewhere in the region, the path to legalizing euthanasia is progressing in different ways. Colombia has allowed euthanasia for terminally ill patients since 1997, and in 2021 expanded euthanasia to people without a terminal diagnosis who suffer from severe physical or mental pain. In Ecuador, the Supreme Court decriminalized euthanasia in 2024.
The Catholic Church also expressed opposition to the new law. “We say absolutely no to euthanasia. It is morally unacceptable to cause the death of a sick person,” Bishop Martín Pérez Sclemini of Florida said.
Under the new law, patients can request assisted dying as long as they meet all of the outlined conditions. The next step lies with the executive branch, which is expected to issue regulations soon, a process made easier by the country’s already established palliative care laws.
For many in faith communities, Uruguay’s move calls for stronger support for life and expanded access to compassionate palliative care as an alternative to end-of-life.
Originally published by Diario Cristiano, the Spanish edition of Christian Daily International.
