Mexico City, June 4 – The ‘Freedom to Die’ collective has submitted a citizen initiative to the Mexico City Congress aimed at legalizing euthanasia in the capital. The proposal seeks to provide individuals suffering from unbearable conditions with the option to end their lives with dignity and medical support.
Citizen Initiative for Medical Aid in Dying
The initiative, formally known as the ‘Medical Aid in Dying Law in Mexico City,’ was presented this week by the Promoting Committee of Libertad para Morir A.C. and the Electoral Institute of Mexico City. For the Mexico City Congress to analyze, deliberate on, and vote on this proposal, it requires the backing of at least 0.25% of the individuals registered on Mexico City’s electoral roll.
To facilitate this, the organization has launched a mobile application developed by the National Electoral Institute (INE). This app allows Mexico City residents who wish to support the proposal to sign individually and remotely. The application can also be used by auxiliaries to collect additional endorsements.
“To achieve this, the support of citizens who agree to expand end-of-life options and recognize each person’s right to decide on one of the most intimate and transcendental decisions of existence is required,” the collective stated in a press release.
Key Aspects of the Proposal
According to the collective, the proposal aims to provide Mexico City residents with a legal option for receiving medical aid in dying when they suffer from a serious and incurable illness that causes intolerable suffering and forces them to live under conditions incompatible with their own idea of dignity.
The organization emphasized that the initiative champions the ultimate freedom to “decide how to die and how not to live when life has become an unbearable burden.” It concludes, “Because deciding how to die is also part of deciding how to live.”
Euthanasia in Mexico: Current Legal Status
The collective notes that euthanasia has been formally prohibited in Mexico since 2009 under Article 166 Bis 21 of the General Health Law. This article classifies such practices as homicide by compassion or assisted suicide, as defined by the Federal Penal Code, under the protection of this law.
However, the collective argues that this prohibition “constitutes an invasion of local jurisdiction” and “suffers from a structural flaw, as it does not carry a corresponding sanction, making it an imperfect norm.”
“Specifically, the prohibition should lead to a sanction corresponding to the act, that is, euthanasia, which is not regulated,” the collective states in a document published on its website.
Distinction Between Advance Directives and Euthanasia in Mexico City
The Mexico City government clarifies that an Advance Directive is a right available to all residents of Mexico City, established in Chapter XXX of the local Health Law.
This mechanism allows individuals to freely and informedly decide whether to accept or reject medical treatments or procedures that unnecessarily prolong life when there is a diagnosis of an advanced, incurable, treatment-resistant, or terminal illness.
In practice, Advance Directives promote care through Palliative Care, which focuses on relieving pain, offering comfort, and providing companionship. The goal is for death to occur naturally, according to the course of the illness and as expressed by the person in their Advance Directive document or form.
This is not the same as euthanasia. Euthanasia involves medical personnel intentionally causing a person’s death and is not legal in Mexico. An Advance Directive, in contrast, is an act of self-care and responsibility: it protects each person’s right to decide on medical care at the end of life.
Source: Infobae
