MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

President Orsi endorses Uruguay's new euthanasia bill

Orsi conditioned the measure to all guarantees being taken

Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi announced he was in favor of the revised “dignified death” bill about to be voted on in the House of Representatives. The proposed law would decriminalize euthanasia for mentally competent adults with incurable diseases or unbearable suffering. The new project is a modified version of a previous one approved by the House in 2022 but stalled in the Senate.

Orsi insisted that necessary changes had been made and therefore he was okay with it “as long as extreme care and guarantees are taken.” “There is a complex philosophical background, where not only ideology but also science plays a role,” he added. “The discussion process has been very productive and the changes that have been made are very necessary.”

The current initiative is supported by the ruling Broad Front (Frente Amplio - FA) and some opposition members. A key change in the new version is the requirement for a medical board review if the two doctors authorizing the procedure disagree. The bill's backers, including Orsi, believe the changes address a “complex philosophical background” and provide necessary guarantees.

Lawmakers of the National Party of former President Luis Lacalle Pou and other smaller parties are expected to vote against it.

Uruguay's current penal code and medical ethics code reject euthanasia, although an existing law allows terminally ill patients to refuse life-prolonging treatment. The country's debate on euthanasia was sparked in part by a former sports official diagnosed with ALS who publicly advocated for the legalization of euthanasia in 2019.