Communist-ruled Cuba on Friday became the second Latin American country, after Colombia, to legalize euthanasia.
The decision was not preceded by a public debate when the Cuban parliament, entirely controlled by the Communist Party, approved a complementary law on the country’s health system on Friday.
“People’s right to die with dignity is respected in end-of-life decisions, which may include discontinuation of therapeutic efforts, continuation of treatment or palliative care, and legal procedures that end life,” states the new version of the law.
Euthanasia and assisted suicide are a controversial topic throughout the world, condemned by representatives of many religions. Individual countries allow such practices, while some equate them to murder.
The Cuban Catholic Church did not comment on the Communist Party’s decision to Reuters.
However, Dr. Alberto Roque of the Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology in Havana is positive about the change. According to him, the amendment to the law creates a framework for the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide in the future.
Cuban state media has not covered the change much and there has been no public debate in the communist-led country. However, Roque hopes that things will change when the documents implementing the law are drawn up.
Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Australia, Spain, Portugal, New Zealand, Colombia, and some US states allow euthanasia. In some of these countries, assisted suicide is also permitted even if the person is suffering, but their illness is not fatal.
It is not the first time that in Cuba legislative changes have been adopted that are unpleasant to the Catholic Church, which is influential in the country. Thus, in a referendum held in September 2022, two-thirds of Cuban voters approved the introduction of marriage equality.
2023-12-22 18:35:00
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