Some newssites incorrectly state that Mexico City has legalized the right to die. There have been several reactions from society on the allegedly approved euthanasia. What is going on in Mexico City?
Euthanasia and assisted suicide aren’t legalized by law yet, but small steps are made. Mexico City became a State last year, which means a new Consitution has to be drafted. In the process of formulating the Consitution, citizens of Mexico City are allowed to hand in proposals. The PRD’s, the left-party, openly tried to debate euthanasia. This wasn’t received very well by the legislators. That’s why professor Amparo Espinosa, president of the Mexican RtD Society, proposed the inclusion of the concepts ‘patient autonomy’ and ‘the right to die with dignity’ within the article on Rights of the Mexico City State Constitution. This proposed addition to the section strengthens the Mexican Health System and could pave the way for legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide in the future.
The added, approved sentence to the ‘Right of Self-determination’ section within the 11th article was: “everyone has the right of self-determination and the liberty to develop each, a personality. So the people can practice their abilities to live with dignity. Live with dignity includes implicitly the right to die with dignity.” Based on this sentence, the media got the impression that euthanasia would be approved.
Later on, the Assembly agreed that the ‘Live with dignity’ section needs further discussion, because the practice of euthanasia and assisted dying still isn’t allowed under the General Law of Health. Euthanasia and assisted dying isn’t approved yet, and the Mayor of Mexico City stated that society was misinformed by the media.
It is not clear how long the discussion on this section will take. This means that it remains uncertain when the Assembly will vote on the section on ‘Live with dignity and die with dignity’.