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At 17, Erika Deyanira Morales was violently struck in the head with a whiskey bottle during a dispute at a bar in Pasto, Colombia. The blow destroyed her spinal cord, rendering her completely paralyzed from the neck down, fully dependent on a ventilator and unable to speak. For years, she endured life in a body that could no longer move or breathe on its own.
By 20, the physical and emotional toll proved unbearable. Using an alphabet board to communicate, she expressed that she could no longer go on. Despite initial resistance from her health provider, Erika’s plea for euthanasia was eventually approved. Days later, complications led to her passing—but her choice remains a poignant assertion of autonomy in suffering.
Her sister, Tatiana, continues advocating for justice, while Erika’s story has reignited national debates in Colombia over disability rights, euthanasia, and dignity in death.
