The Colombian Ministry of Health issued Resolution 813 of 2026 [1] to expand the legal criteria for euthanasia across the country.

This regulatory shift is significant because it removes the requirement that a patient must have a terminal illness to qualify for a dignified death. By extending the right to those with serious and incurable conditions, Colombia further establishes itself as a global leader in patient autonomy and end-of-life rights.

The new rules, announced on March 26, 2026 [2], were developed to comply with several mandates from the Constitutional Court. The government said the goal is to unify the criteria and procedures used when applying the right to die with dignity to ensure consistency across different health providers.

Under Resolution 813 of 2026 [1], the Ministry of Health updated the rules regarding patient consent and the specific roles of medical committees. These committees are responsible for reviewing requests and ensuring that the patient's decision is voluntary and informed. The updated framework seeks to reduce the bureaucratic barriers that previously hindered access for patients who were suffering but not immediately terminal.

While the resolution aims to streamline the process, some advocacy groups have previously noted that barriers to accessing these rights persist. The Ministry of Health said the updated norms are intended to address these gaps by providing a clearer legal path for both medical professionals and patients.

The resolution applies nationwide, affecting how hospitals and clinics handle requests for medical assistance in dying. It focuses on the balance between medical ethics and the constitutional right to personal autonomy—a tension the Colombian legal system has navigated for years.

“Colombia expands the right to die with dignity to patients with serious and incurable illnesses.”

This expansion represents a shift from a 'terminality' model to a 'suffering' model of medical assistance in dying. By decoupling euthanasia from a specific time-to-death prognosis, Colombia is prioritizing the patient's subjective experience of incurable pain and loss of autonomy over clinical timelines. This move aligns the administrative health code with the broader jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court, potentially reducing the number of legal battles individuals must fight to secure the procedure.