Colombia's Victor Escobar become first person to legally commit suicide

Colombian Victor Escobar became the first person with a non-terminal illness to die legally through euthanasia in the country. His lawyer, Luis Giraldo, released a statement later Friday.

Escobar stated in his video message,"We reached the goal for patients like me, who aren't terminal but degenerative, to win this battle, a battle that opens the doors for the other patients who come after me and want a dignified death right now."

The woman had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALA), which is also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. She was put to death on Saturday.

Escobar had end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which makes it hard to live a good life, as well as a lot of other problems, Giraldo told Reuters.

Cali, the capital of Colombia's Valle del Cauca province, is where the surgery took place.

Asked by Escobar: "I'm not saying goodbye, but I'll see you again."

Escobar had been fighting for his right to euthanasia for two years against doctors, clinics, and courts. Even though the Constitutional Court said last year that euthanasia should not be limited to terminally ill people, Escobar kept fighting for his right.

Martha Sepulveda had the surgery in the city of Medellin on Saturday at noon, DescLAB, the group that helped her, said in a statement.

This is how it worked: Sepulveda, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease in 2018, was supposed to be euthanized on October 10 last year. The procedure was stopped at the last minute, though.

In 1997, Colombia's Constitutional Court took away some of the penalties for euthanasia in certain cases. In 2014, the court ordered that the procedure be regulated. One of the first people to die under the new rules in Colombia was killed in 2015.

At the end of last year, 178 people with terminal illnesses had been legally euthanized in Colombia since 2015, says a group called DescLAB.