After a long legal battle in Peru for the right to a premeditated death, Ana Estrada said she now feels free to escape the suffering of the incurable and debilitating disease that has plagued her for three decades.
The Peruvian Supreme Court this week confirmed an earlier ruling that allowed Estrada, a 44-year-old psychologist, to end his life after a five-year legal battle and years of illness.
Under Peruvian law, helping a terminally ill patient to commit suicide is punishable by imprisonment.
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“This victory will help me overcome this imminent and inevitable disease. It will give me peace of mind and serenity,” he told Reuters.
Estrada suffers from polymyositis, a rare disease that attacks his muscles with degenerative deterioration. He has spent most of his life lying prostrate in bed connected to a mechanical respirator and with almost daily assistance from a nurse.
The Supreme Court ruling issued this week ratified an earlier court decision requiring Peru’s state health insurer to provide “all conditions” for the euthanasia of Estrada, which must be executed within 10 days from the date she declared her desire to end her life.
The Supreme Court acquitted the doctor who ultimately supplied the drug meant to end Estrada’s life from any punishment.
“Why die with dignity? Because I want to avoid suffering, I want to avoid pain, but above all because it’s about life and about freedom,” Estrada said as he lay in bed.
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