International
Colombian dies publicly under new euthanasia policy
AFP
Victor Escobar decided to die and to do so publicly, becoming one of the first Latin Americans to end their life without suffering from a terminal disease, under a ground-breaking court ruling in Colombia.
Hours before dying on Friday, 60 year old Escobar celebrated what he called victory in his two-year battle with a lung ailment that left him unable to breathe on his own.
“Little by little, it becomes everyone’s turn. So I do not say goodbye but rather, see you soon. And little by little we will end up with God,” Escobar, who is a practicing Catholic, said in a video sent to news organizations.
He died in the city of Cali with doctors present, his lawyer said on Twitter.
The last footage of him alive shows him smiling and surrounded by family. He was sedated and then given a lethal injection.
Colombia depenalized assisted death in 1997, and in July 2021 a high court expanded this “right to dignified death” to those not suffering from a terminal illness.
It is the first Latin American country to take the step and one of the few in the world, and did so despite being mostly Roman Catholic. The church categorically opposes euthanasia and assisted suicide.
“I was already feeling sick. I felt like my lungs did not obey me,” Escobar told AFP in October as he waged the final chapter of his legal battle.
– Non terminal-
Diabetes and a cardiovascular ailment left him in a wheel chair and suffering from spasms that wracked his body.
His family backed the idea of euthanasia.
In Europe only Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg and Spain have legalized euthanasia.
Colombia may have joined that list but access to the procedure is not always smooth.
As of mid-2021 patients like Escobar — with chronic diseases and a life expectancy of more than six months — could not undergo euthanasia.
“They were being forced to live in undignified conditions against their will,” said Monica Giraldo of an NGO called the Foundation for the Right to Dignified Death.
She said that since the court ruling on euthanasia, three people with non-terminal diseases used it to end their lives but Escobar is the first to do so with cameras rolling so the public could witness it.
“I want my story to be known because it creates a path for patients like me, patients with degenerative conditions, to have an open door to seek rest,” Escobar said.
Escobar has said he got ill from years of working with exposure to asbestos, an insulating material now known to cause cancer.
– Permission to die –
In October of last year a panel at the Imbanaco clinic rejected Escobar’s request for euthanasia, after two years of earlier petitions that were also rejected.
The committee argued that Escobar was not terminal and there were still ways to try to alleviate his suffering.
Days earlier in another city, Medellin, 51 year old Martha Sepulveda, suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also saw her request to die cancelled at the last minute on grounds that she was not terminal.
Giraldo said hospitals sometimes deny euthanasia requests over “ideological positions” or scrap them at the last minute over legal concerns.
But Escobar appealed in court and won. He chose to die on January 7 — a Friday, so it would be easy for relatives to go to his funeral on the weekend, his lawyer said.
“I suffer from my diseases, and I suffer watching ny family suffer because of me,” Escobar said in October, gasping for breath.
The courts also granted permission for Sepulveda to die. Like Escobar she had gone public with her case.
The government says at least 157 people have chosen euthanasia since the July 2021 legal change.
Giraldo’s foundation is now working with five people seeking assisted suicide, two of them with non terminal conditions.
Shortly before dying, Escobar said God does not like to see people suffer.
“I do not think God will punish me for trying to stop suffering,” he said.
International
Brazil’s Lula wishes Trump a successful term focused on prosperity and peace
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wished the new U.S. President, Donald Trump, a “successful” term that promotes “prosperity and well-being for the U.S. people” and “a fairer and more peaceful world.”
“On behalf of the Brazilian government, I congratulate President Donald Trump on his inauguration,” said the progressive leader on his social media, shortly after Trump took the oath of office at the Capitol in Washington.
Lula, 79, highlighted that the relationship between Brazil and the United States, one of its most important trade partners, is “marked by a history of cooperation, based on mutual respect and historical friendship.”
“Our countries maintain strong ties in various areas such as trade, science, education, and culture. I am confident that we can continue to make progress in these and other areas,” he added.
International
Iran hopes U.S. will adopt realistic approaches under Trump administration
Iran declared on Monday that it hopes the new U.S. administration under Donald Trump will adopt “realistic approaches” toward Tehran and show “respect” for the interests of the countries in the region.
The Republican tycoon will take the oath for his second term as president of the United States on Monday at noon Washington time (17:00 GMT).
“We hope that the approaches and policies of the new U.S. government will be realistic and based on respect for the interests… of the countries in the region, including the Iranian nation,” said the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baqaei, during a weekly press briefing.
During his first term (2017-2021), Trump implemented a “maximum pressure” policy toward Iran.
In 2018, under his administration, the United States withdrew from the international nuclear deal with Iran, concluded three years earlier, which offered Tehran relief from sanctions in exchange for assurances that the country would not seek to acquire nuclear weapons. Tehran denies any such intentions.
In response, Tehran significantly increased its stockpile of enriched materials and raised the enrichment threshold to 60%, approaching the 90% required to produce an atomic bomb, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Tehran, which has expressed a desire to relaunch negotiations to revive the deal, defends its right to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and denies any intention to develop nuclear weapons.
International
Trump to sign executive order recognizing only two sexes
Donald Trump will sign an executive order instructing his administration to “recognize” the existence of only “two sexes,” future White House officials announced on Monday, just before the Republican’s inauguration.
“What we are doing today is defining that the policy of the United States is to recognize two sexes: male and female,” said the official, speaking to the press on the condition of anonymity.
The aim of the decree is “to defend women against the ideological extremism of gender and to restore biological truth within the Federal Government,” the official added, explaining that a person’s sexual identity will be defined solely by the gametes they possess.
During his campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to put an end to the “transgender delusion.”
The elected president also plans to eliminate federal funding for programs supporting diversity in the administration, the same officials from his incoming cabinet stated.
“We are going to end this type of funding, we are going to put an end to these programs,” said one source from the future team, speaking anonymously about antiracism and diversity training courses.
Brazil’s Lula wishes Trump a successful term focused on prosperity and peace
Iran hopes U.S. will adopt realistic approaches under Trump administration
Trump to sign executive order recognizing only two sexes
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