Uruguay’s Senate has given final approval to a law legalizing euthanasia, five years after the debate first began. The upper chamber passed the measure with 20 votes in favor and 11 against, confirming the earlier decision of the Chamber of Deputies, which approved it in August with 64 votes in favor and 29 against. With this vote, the law is now fully sanctioned and only awaits regulation by the Executive Branch before it can take effect.
Uruguay is now the first country in Latin America to legalize euthanasia by parliamentary vote — a decision that has sparked a passionate national debate over ethics, morality, and the value of life.
The legislation has faced strong opposition from Catholic, Evangelical, and other conservative groups who argue that life is a sacred gift and that suffering should be addressed through palliative care, not assisted death.
In August, the Council of Evangelical Representation of Uruguay (CREU) released a video message from its president-elect, Pastor Louder Garabedian, declaring, “The Evangelical Alliance has a clear and firm message about euthanasia — we say, categorically, no to euthanasia. No to accelerating the process of death.”
Garabedian added that “palliative care is a transformative tool that brings dignity to those who suffer, even in the midst of terminal illness.”
The bill, introduced by lawmakers from the ruling Frente Amplio party, aims to “regulate and guarantee the right of individuals to experience the dying process with dignity, under circumstances they determine.” It allows for a “painless, peaceful, and respectful” death for patients who meet strict criteria — including being an adult, mentally competent, and suffering from either a terminal, incurable condition or “unbearable pain.”
Sen. Daniel Borbonet of the Frente Amplio defended the bill, saying, “To live with dignity through the final process of life — facing an untreatable, incurable, irreversible disease, with unbearable suffering and severe decline in quality of life — is not a crime. No one should be punished for choosing dignity.”
That stance stands in contrast to Christian teaching, which holds that life should be valued and protected from conception to natural death.
Elsewhere in the region, the path toward legalizing euthanasia has taken different forms. Colombia has allowed euthanasia for terminally ill patients since 1997 and expanded it in 2021 to include people suffering intense physical or psychological pain without a terminal diagnosis. In Ecuador, the Supreme Court decriminalized euthanasia in 2024.
The Catholic Church also expressed its opposition to the new law. Bishop Martín Pérez Scremini of Florida stated, “We say a firm no to euthanasia — causing the death of a sick person is ethically unacceptable.”
Under the new law, patients may request assisted death as long as they meet all 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 law.
For many in the faith community, Uruguay’s move is a call to strengthen support for life and expand access to compassionate palliative care as an alternative at the end of life.
Originally published by Diario Cristiano, Christian Daily International's Spanish edition.
