A Colombian woman left severely disfigured by an acid attack has renewed her request to die after 26 years of operations, hospital treatment and financial hardship. María Consuelo Córdoba, 58, has been told by her healthcare provider that euthanasia was authorised four years ago, although the procedure has not taken place.
Capital Salud said it would continue to provide medical care and respect whatever decision Ms Córdoba makes freely and autonomously.
The Bogotá resident appeared on Colombian broadcaster CityTV wearing a handmade mask over her heavily scarred face. Two plastic tubes protrude from her nose to help her breathe, while only a small opening remains where her mouth once was.
Ms Córdoba said she has undergone about 87 operations and spent more than three years in hospital. She still needs further reconstructive surgery, struggles to eat and is unable to work.
“I don’t want to live like this anymore,” she said during the interview.
She told CityTV that she now spends her days walking through Bogotá asking for money to pay for the small room she rents and meet her basic needs.
“What I ask of the whole world is that, after 26 years with my face like this and with the mask, they help me so that my life can be better,” she said.
Acid attack left woman facing decades of treatment
Ms Córdoba, originally from Istmina in the department of Chocó, moved to Bogotá with her then-husband in 2000 in search of work.
She has alleged that he attacked her after she decided to remain in the capital rather than return to Chocó with him. According to her account, he arrived carrying acid in a bottle that appeared to contain liquor.
“When I opened the door he threw the acid at me,” she said. “I didn’t know it was acid because he had it in a bottle of liquor. I just thought he was drinking.”
She said the man fled as the burning sensation spread across her face, leaving her to try to wash the substance away with water.
Ms Córdoba also recalled meeting Pope Francis during his visit to Colombia in 2017. She claims she told him about her physical and emotional suffering and that he urged her not to pursue euthanasia, promising that Colombia would help her obtain the operations she needed.
“He told me, ‘Colombia will help you get the surgeries you need’,” she said. “But you know what? No one has helped me. I’m worse.”
The interview prompted widespread anger and concern in Colombia, with viewers questioning why Ms Córdoba had been left without adequate long-term support.
In a statement issued after the broadcast, Capital Salud said it had contacted her directly to establish her circumstances and check the information about her treatment. The organisation said she had told it that authorisation for euthanasia had been in place since 2022 and that she was not currently waiting for that approval.
“María Consuelo will continue to be supported with respect, humanity and dignity,” Capital Salud said, adding that it remained available to meet her healthcare needs.
Colombia was the first country in Latin America to decriminalise euthanasia. Ms Córdoba’s case has renewed scrutiny of the support available to survivors of acid attacks who face permanent injuries and prolonged medical treatment.
