Peruvian woman dies by euthanasia after years-long fight in courts

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - A Peruvian woman suffering from a degenerative illness died by euthanasia, becoming the first person in the country to end life with medical assistance.

"Ana Estrada exercised her fundamental right to a dignified death," her lawyer Josefina Miro Quesada said on Monday.

Estrada, 47, a psychologist, went to court in 2016 for the right to die with "dignity" while suffering an incurable disease polymyositis that weakened her muscles.

In 2022, Peru's Supreme Court confirmed a ruling that gave Estrada an exemption to end her life.

Euthanasia is illegal in the Latin American country Peru, a majority Roman Catholic nation.