A woman from Colombia who was set to become the first person in the country to die by way of legal euthanasia, without an immediate terminal prognosis, had the procedure canceled just a few days before it was scheduled to happen. Martha Sepúlveda, 51, received a letter a few days before she was scheduled to die, stating that the procedure wouldn’t be allowed to proceed as planned.
The Colombian Pain Institute, where she was supposed to die, said her condition had improved from July to October, due to which the procedure could no longer take place. However, Sepúlveda, who was diagnosed with ALS, was no longer being treated at the Pain Institute.
Sepúlveda’s son said his mother was “back to her previous state of desperation and sadness, and there’s nothing that can change that.” This case has received immense international attention, raising concerns around just how expansive euthanasia laws need to be.
Colombia decriminalized euthanasia way back in 1997. In July, a court ruled to expand the right to euthanasia to include not just those with immediate terminal prognoses, but also patients with “intense physical or mental suffering, from bodily injury or serious and incurable illness.”
Although Sepúlveda is a devout Catholic, she believes the procedure does not conflict with her faith. She said, “I believe in a God who doesn’t want to see me like this.”
ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, does not have a cure and is fatal. The ALS Association states that the average survival time for those diagnosed with the condition is just three years, although a small percentage of people who are diagnosed with this disease can go on to live longer.