Valentina Maureira
Quick Facts
Biography
Valentina Maureira Riquelme (2000/01 – May 14, 2015) was a Chilean teenager who gained international attention after using social media to ask Chilean President Michele Bachelet to allow her to die by euthanasia. Bachelet denied her request.
Biography
Maureira was the daughter of Freddy Maureira and had a brother who died at the age of six of cystic fibrosis. She was herself diagnosed with the disease shortly afterwards.
Early in 2015, she used YouTube to post a video asking President Bachelet to allow her to be euthanised. Bachelet denied the request based on Chile's laws, citing the Catholicism in their country as a reason to enforce those laws.
Days later, President Bachelet visited the stricken girl in the hospital. Up until 23 March, Maureira received public support for her wellbeing and met someone aged beyond 20 with similar disease, prompting her to change her mind about euthanasia.
On 14 May, Maureira died at age 14 in the hospital.
