Catalina Giraldo dies by euthanasia after 10-month fight for assisted suicide

Catalina Giraldo, a 30-year-old Colombian psychologist, died by euthanasia on July 9, 2026, after a 10-month legal battle to access medically assisted suicide for severe mental health disorders. Initially requesting Asistencia Médica al Suicidio (AMS), she was denied due to a lack of regulations, eventually opting for euthanasia. Source: La Voz; Clarín

The legal battle

Giraldo had suffered from severe depression, borderline personality disorder, and anxiety for 10 years, undergoing over 40 medication regimens, nine psychiatric hospitalizations, and three cycles of electroconvulsive therapy without relief. Source: Infobae In October 2025, she formally requested AMS, but her health provider rejected it citing no normative framework. A judge also denied her plea. Source: Clarín Her case reached the Corte Constitucional but remained unresolved at her death. Source: El Colombiano

Her final decision

In her last interview, Giraldo said she felt "tranquility" for the first time in years. Source: La Voz Yet she struggled with the decision, feeling she was "betraying this fight" by switching to euthanasia. Source: El Colombiano The organization DescLab criticized the state's inaction, stating it forced her to choose an option she did not want. Source: El Colombiano