US EditionIn a regional first, Uruguay passes a law allowing euthanasia
The law allows euthanasia for mentally competent patients with incurable illnesses causing unbearable suffering and passed with a 20-11 Senate vote, reflecting Uruguay's liberal social policies.
- Uruguay's Senate passed a law decriminalizing euthanasia on October 15, 2025, making it the first country in predominantly Catholic Latin America to do so.
- The law allows seriously ill patients to legally obtain help to end their lives, putting Uruguay among a few other nations with such laws.
- The final vote saw 20 out of 31 senators supporting the law, which has faced debates and activism for five years.
- Colombia and Ecuador have decriminalized euthanasia through Supreme Court decisions, while Chile is considering a similar bill.
79 Articles
79 Articles
The country, historically very progressive, is the first in Latin America to do so through a law, and not through appeals to the Supreme Court
The law of euthanasia was adopted by a large majority of 31 parliamentarians. However, several associations rejected it, describing it as "dangerous".
October 15, 2025 – Montevideo – EFE. Uruguay legalized active euthanasia this Wednesday, adding this measure to a series of previously sanctioned progressive laws, such as voluntary termination of pregnancy, egalitarian marriage and legislation that protects the rights of trans persons. The Digna Death Bill was passed in the Senate, after having received approval from the House of Representatives in August. With this legislative action, Uruguay …
Uruguay legalizes euthanasia; becoming 3rd country in Latin America to do so
Uruguay has legalized euthanasia, becoming the third country in Latin America and the eleventh in the world to do so, following a Senate vote that capped years of debate over what supporters call the right to die with dignity. The Senate approved the measure, known as the “dignified death” law, late Tuesday by a vote of 20 to 11. The bill had already been passed by Uruguay’s lower house earlier this year. It allows terminally ill patients experi…
Uruguay joined on Wednesday the handful of countries in the world that enable and regulate euthanasia under strict circumstances of incurable illness and extreme suffering. With 20 votes in favour of a total of 31, the Senate plenary closed a profuse five-year legislative path that attracted the attention of a society almost always prone to the extension of rights: 62% of Uruguayans were in favour of this legalization, according to the consultan…
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