Assisted dying in Cuba
A look at the legal status of voluntary assisted dying in Cuba.
- Where the law stands
- Decriminalised (regulations pending)
- Since
- 2023
- Who can ask
- Adults
- Condition
- Terminal disease
- Residency
- Citizens Only
What you need to know.
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Status: Decriminalised
In December 2023, Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power officially recognized the right to a “dignified death.” The law was published in January 2026, but the regulations that will govern how it is applied are still being developed.
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Scope: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
This legislation allows for both active euthanasia and assisted suicide, making Cuba the second country in Latin America to pass a law recognising a right to a dignified death.
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Eligibility
Cuban citizens and foreign residents with permanent residency status. There is no legal mechanism for foreigners to travel to Cuba solely for the purpose of accessing assisted dying.
Summary
In a historic move for the Caribbean and Latin America, Cuba officially recognized the right to a “dignified death” in December 2023. This legislation, integrated into the country’s updated public health framework, allows for both active euthanasia and assisted suicide. It made Cuba the second country in Latin America to pass a law recognising a right to a dignified death, although the law was only published in January 2026 and the regulations to apply it are still being developed.
How the law came about.
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2022
The Family Code
Discussions on the right to a dignified death begin during the 2022 Family Code updates.
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December 2023
The Public Health Law
Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power unanimously approved a new Public Health Law (Ley de Salud Pública), which updated legislation dating back to 1983. The law explicitly recognizes the right of individuals to access a “dignified death” (muerte digna) through end-of-life decisions, which can include the limitation of therapeutic effort, palliative care, and “valid procedures that end life.”
This made Cuba the second country in Latin America, after Colombia, to pass a law recognising a right to a dignified death. The inclusion of this right was part of a broader overhaul of the nation’s universal healthcare system.
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January 2026
Published in the Official Gazette
On 23 January 2026, the Cuban Government published the new Public Health Law in the Official Gazette. It recognises the right to a dignified death and defines the assumptions for applying euthanasia, although it postponed its application until a specific regulation is approved to regulate it.
Mechanism and Implementation
While the Public Health Law establishes the legal right to assisted dying, the specific clinical protocols and regulations are administered by the Ministry of Public Health (Ministerio de Salud Pública – MINSAP).
The law frames the practice within the bioethical principles of autonomy, beneficence and justice, focusing on patients with:
- Chronic, degenerative and irreversible diseases.
- Intractable suffering.
- Agony or terminal phases of life.
The legislation distinguishes between “therapeutic limitation” (stopping treatment) and “valid procedures to end life” (active euthanasia or assisted suicide), permitting both under strict medical supervision within the state-run healthcare network.
Current status: The law is currently in force, with the Ministry of Public Health tasked with finalising the granular regulations that guide medical professionals in the application of the procedure. Unlike many other jurisdictions where court rulings forced legislative change, Cuba’s legalization came through direct parliamentary action as a government-sponsored bill.
Who is Eligible?
Access to assisted dying in Cuba is governed by the 2023 Public Health Law, which integrates the practice into the nation’s free, universal healthcare system. Consequently, eligibility is restricted to those entitled to coverage under this national system.
- Voluntary Request: The request must be a free, informed and unequivocal expression of the patient’s will.
- Residency Requirement: The law applies to Cuban citizens and foreign residents with permanent residency status. Because the procedure is administered as a public health service, it is not available to tourists or temporary visitors.
- Medical Criteria: Patients must be diagnosed with a chronic, degenerative and irreversible disease or be in the terminal phase of life (agony).
- Suffering: The individual must be experiencing intractable physical or psychological suffering that cannot be alleviated.
Our members in Latin America
The World Federation has no member society in Cuba. These member societies work elsewhere in Latin America:
More country profiles
- Canada Legal (Federal)
- United States Legal (State Level)
- Australia Legal
- Austria Legal
- Belgium Legal
- Colombia Decriminalized
- Ecuador Decriminalized
- France Legal
- Germany Legal (Ruling)
- Ireland Illegal (no active bill)
- Italy Decriminalised (Court Ruling)
- Netherlands Legal
- New Zealand Legal
- Norway Illegal
- Portugal Legal (In Limbo)
- Spain Legal
- Switzerland Decriminalized
- United Kingdom Illegal (no active bill)
- Uruguay Legal