Euthanasia in Uruguay: Bishop proposes not to continue promoting “laws that promote death”

Following the bill that seeks to approve Euthanasia in Uruguay, the bishop of Maldonado-Punta del Esteos, Mons. Milton Tróccoli, said that “there are other legislated possibilities that help more to a dignified death, than to continue promoting laws that promote death.”

In this way, the prelate adhered to what has been expressed just over a week ago by the Uruguayan Episcopal Conference in a Document entitled “Find with love the end of life”in which they highlighted the dignity of the person and their “absolute, unique and irreplaceable” value.

“We need to strengthen a social conscience that welcomes, protect, promote and accompany each person throughout their lives, including the final stage of their earthly existence, with the fundamental support of the family, palliative care and a real spiritual experience,” said those prelates in the statement. In the same text, they propose palliative medicine as a way to “care for, relieve and comfort” and ask legislators to act guided by the dignity of the person and human rights.

The bill was presented by Deputy Ope Pasquet, of the Colorado Party, and discussed in the previous legislative period, but did not achieve the necessary votes to approve. In this new legislative year, the Frente Amplio presented a new proposal to regulate euthanasia.

In that context, Mons. Tróccoli explained to FM people that the episcopate document “is based mainly on the dignity of all human life and in their care during all times, including the stage of the end of earthly life, through the aid to the family, of palliative medicine and also from a genuine spiritual experience.”

Given the progress of medicine in palliative care and therapeutic sedation, “no one would have to get with those sufferings at the time of death,” he said.

“There are other legislated possibilities that help more to decent death, than to continue promoting laws that promote death, in a country where there is such a large index of suicide and even youth suicide,” he warned.

In other countries where euthanasia is legal, said the prelate, the results were not only “peaceful” but also generated “distrust of doctors.”

As an example, he referred to the case of England, where “even progress was made to euthanasia for minors and adolescents, but then turned back with that law,” he said.