Cuba has become the second country in Latin America and the Caribbean to legalise euthanasia — the practise of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering — following in the footsteps of Colombia. The decision was approved by the Communist-run country’s National Assembly as part of a legislation that was aimed at updating the legal framework of Cuba’s universal and free healthcare system.
The recently passed legislation affirms, “The right of people to a dignified death is recognised in end-of-life decisions, which may include the limitation of therapeutic effort, continuous or palliative care, and valid procedures that end life.”
What does it mean?
The development marks a significant step for the South American nation as it establishes guidelines for future euthanasia practices which cover both active euthanasia and assisted suicide.
The subjects of euthanasia and medically assisted suicide are often met with religious opposition and continue to stir global controversy. While only a handful of countries permit these practices, some view them as contentious and akin to murder.
At Havana’s Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology, the country’s leading cancer centre, Dr Alberto Roque, who has a masters in bioethics, welcomed the measure and said it established the “legal framework for future euthanasia in any of its forms, that is, active euthanasia or assisted suicide.”
Discourse in Cuba around euthanasia
According to a report by Reuters, outside the cancer institute, 47-year-old nurse Suaima Lopez, suffering from rectal cancer, said she favoured euthanasia in case she or other patients did not recover.
“Families want to keep loved ones alive until the very, very last moment but one has to think of those suffering,” Lopez was quoted as saying by Reuters.
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“If only we could have a dignified death… at a certain moment when nothing can be done anymore… let me die peacefully, in peace and harmony,” she said.
Countries like Switzerland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Canada, Australia, Spain, Germany, New Zealand, and certain U.S. states already permit euthanasia and, in some instances, medically assisted suicide for cases of intense suffering without a terminal illness.
(With inputs from agencies)
