Final de la Vida en Colombia

Abstract

The end of life is an inherent and unavoidable element in every living being, deciding how the transition to it will be, is a topic that has gained strength throughout time. With the understanding of chronic diseases and advances in medicine, an increasing number of people in terminal phases of various diseases, will have a less traumatic passage to death depending on their therapeutic possibilities. Hence, the importance of the right to die with dignity, Colombia is a pioneer country in creating public policies in favor of dignified death. Despite internal conflicts and a strong religious influence, the vision on this issue has changed thanks to the work of government institutions in conjunction with experts in the area of health, patients and families. In this article, we intend to expose the tools that Colombians have to make their right to die with dignity effective, the process involved, the debate around it, and the persistent gaps.