Argentine Bishops' Health Commission Opposes Euthanasia Bills, Urges Palliative Care
The Argentine bishops' commission for health care ministry issued a statement opposing euthanasia after 23 bills on euthanasia and assisted suicide were introduced in Congress since 2021
The Episcopal Commission for Health Care Ministry in Argentina has issued a call for reflection on human life and its value, responding to several bills introduced in the country's Congress that would legalize euthanasia. The statement followed the National Meeting of Health Care Ministry, held in July in the province of Cordoba, where participants discussed end-of-life issues.
The document calls for "accompanying human fragility with tenderness and gratitude until its natural end." From the perspective of faith, it says, life is a "priceless gift" that must be received and protected at every stage.
Bills awaiting debate
Between 2021 and 2026, 23 bills on euthanasia and assisted suicide have been introduced in Argentina. Nine are currently before the Chamber of Deputies and two before the Senate. None has been debated in committee or on the floor.
In June 2026, the National Campaign for the Right to Euthanasia began circulating a "Public letter of support for a Euthanasia Law in Argentina," which allows citizens to register their backing for the practice. The commission said it is concerned that ending life could be considered a solution to suffering.
Palliative medicine as an alternative
"The true response to suffering is not to cause death, but to provide care, presence and complete relief," the commission said. It called for stronger implementation of National Palliative Care Law No. 27,678, passed in 2022 and given implementing regulations in 2023, as a humane alternative at the end of life.
The commission said both society and the state must guarantee equitable access to palliative medicine, pain control and interdisciplinary support for terminally ill patients. "It will never be morally licit to try to eliminate suffering by eliminating the sufferer," the statement said.
Commitment to dignity and accompaniment
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to training health care ministry workers and promoting palliative medicine, seeking to build a culture of life through compassionate accompaniment and attentive listening to the elderly and the terminally ill. It invited dioceses, parishes, movements and communities to multiply concrete gestures of closeness and support for terminally ill patients beginning next month.
"We hope this comforting presence will become visible both in homes and in various institutions, asking God for wisdom for our legislators, relief for the sufferings of the sick and strength to care for and value all life," the commission concluded.
