Ecuador’s high court decriminalizes euthanasia, following a lawsuit by a terminally ill patient

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador’s high court has decriminalized euthanasia and ordered lawmakers and health officials to draft rules and regulations for the procedure. The decision of Ecuador’s highest court came in response to a lawsuit from a terminally ill woman diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ASL, who had argued that she should be allowed to have death with dignity. In Latin America, Colombia previously had been the only country to decriminalize euthanasia, while Uruguay and Chile are debating the matter.