Uruguayan government legalizes euthanasia

The Legislative Palace, seat of Uruguay’s government. Photo: iStock / Wiley Wilkins

On October 20, 2025, the Senate of Uruguay gave final approval to a bill legalizing euthanasia, reports Christian Post. Twenty senators voted in favor, and eleven against. The bill had previously been passed by the Chamber of Deputies and now awaits the signature of the executive branch.

Thus, Uruguay became the first Latin American country to legalize euthanasia through parliamentary legislation. The decision sparked heated public debate and condemnation from Christian denominations, which declared that life is a sacred gift and that suffering should be alleviated through palliative care rather than deliberate death.

Bishop Martín Pérez Scremini called the new law ethically unacceptable, while Pastor Louder Garabedian, president of the Evangelical Council of Uruguay, emphasized that hastening death cannot be an act of mercy.

The law, proposed by members of the Broad Front coalition, allows euthanasia for adults of sound mind who suffer from incurable illnesses or chronic, unbearable pain. Similar rulings had previously been issued by courts in Colombia and Ecuador, but had never before been ratified by a national parliament.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Canada is turning euthanasia into a system for organ donation supply.

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