Events concerning three people in Latin America speak to wider issues
Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet poses for a selfie with Valentina Maureira, a 14-year old girl who suffers from cystic fibrosis.
In Latin America this week, there have been two particularly symbolic deaths.
In Guerrero state, Mexico, the death of 65-year-old retired teacher Claudio Castillo Peña at a protest has become representative of the wider distrust of police and the authorities.
The CETEG teachers union, of which Castillo was a founding member, and others present say he was asked to step out of vehicle by police, before being brutally and repeatedly hit by batons.
Police have denied playing a part in the death.
Further south, in Venezuela, the killing of 14-year-old Kluibert Roa has rallied protesters, both those opposed to the government of President Nicolás Maduro and those calling for the repeal of a decree authorizing police to use live ammunition at protests.
Officials say Roa was killed by an officer using plastic bullets, but others, including the boy’s family, believe live rounds were used. Maduro has condemned the bloody death, images of which circulated widely on social media.
Another 14-year-old, this time in neighbouring Chile, has also shone light on a wider issue. Valentina Maureira, who has cystic fibrosis, made headlines worldwide with a heartbreaking video on YouTube, in which she asked President Michelle Bachelet to grant her permission to die. The president, a paediatrician herself, says she cannot grant Valentina’s wish, with euthanasia illegal under Chilean law.
As the Herald explored in last week’s On Sunday, euthanasia is a tough subject to tackle and the regulations around it must be carefully controlled. Valentina’s case is especially complicated due to her age, but if someone is in pain, with their quality of life degenerating, surely they should be allowed to make their own choice.
@urlgoeshere
An edited version of this column was published in the Buenos Aires Herald, on Sunday, March 1, 2015 as part of the ‘Perceptions’ series.
Link: http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/183219/symbolic-deaths.