Colombia Acid Attack Survivor Seeks Euthanasia After 26 Years and 87 Surgeries

Maria Consuelo Cordoba is 58 years old and has spent more than half of her life marked by an assault that forever changed her face, her health, and the conditions in which she lives. Twenty-six years ago, in Bogota, she had acid thrown on her face during an argument with the man who was her husband at the time. Since that day, she has undergone nearly 87 surgeries, spent long periods hospitalized, and received treatments that have still not ended. Now, physically and financially exhausted, she has requested access to euthanasia.

Her story once again brings one of the cruelest forms of violence against women in Colombia to the forefront: attacks involving chemical agents. This is neither a recent practice nor a series of isolated cases. Exactly 30 years ago, the country learned about the case of Gina Potes, considered the first woman officially identified as a victim of an acid attack.

Since then, dozens of women have survived assaults that not only destroy tissue and leave permanent injuries, but can also turn every day into a struggle against pain, stares, and abandonment.

Colombia acid attack survivor seeks euthanasia after 26 years and 87 surgeries

As Maria Consuelo herself told local outlet CityTV, she came to Bogota from Istmina, in the department of Choco, together with the man who was her husband at the time. In 2000, according to her own account, the two argued because she had decided to remain in the capital to work rather than return to her hometown.

During the argument, the man threw a liquid directly at her face. At first, she did not know it was acid because it had been stored in a liquor container. “He ran away, and I felt that it was burning me badly, so I went home to pour water on it,” she told the television outlet.

Likewise, this victim of gender-based violence felt an intense burning sensation and ran to find water in an attempt to relieve the burns. The assault caused severe injuries and marked the beginning of an endless journey through hospitals and operating rooms.

Over these 26 years, Maria Consuelo has undergone approximately 87 surgical procedures. Despite them, she still needs further reconstructive procedures. She currently requires two plastic tubes to breathe and uses a homemade mask to protect her face from the sun and, also, from the stares of strangers.

#Gente | ‘Guerrerita’ pide ayuda para continuar con su recuperación y acceder a las cirugías que necesita. Conozca su historia👇https://t.co/IrvSLMFdWZ pic.twitter.com/NxXqsUhato

— Canal Citytv (@Citytv) September 1, 2026

The ordeal does not end with the medical consequences. Maria Consuelo says she does not have the money needed to continue her treatments and that she currently has to rely on charity to survive.

According to her account, she travels around Bogota on public transportation asking for financial assistance. She lives in a room in Puente Aranda—in western Bogota—for which she pays around 500,000 pesos (approximately US$155) a month, and she must also cover the expenses arising from her medical needs.

In 2017, she met Pope Francis during his visit to Colombia. According to her account, the pontiff asked her not to resort to euthanasia and to remain hopeful that she would receive help to continue with her surgeries. She agreed at the time to make that promise. But she says that, years later, the help she had hoped for never came to the extent she needed it.

She now says she is tired of living under these conditions and is requesting euthanasia as a way out of suffering she considers endless.

Three decades of violence that left scars

Maria Consuelo’s case comes three decades after the attack that turned Gina Potes into a symbol of this form of violence in Colombia. On October 28, 1996, when she was 20 years old, a man approached her home in Bogotá and threw acid in her face. The attack also affected other parts of her body and subsequently forced her to undergo about 30 surgeries.

Potes later devoted much of her life to supporting other women who were victims of chemical attacks. Her story helped bring visibility to a form of violence that for years was treated as a secondary problem, despite its devastating physical, psychological, family and economic consequences.

The legal response began to toughen with Law 1639 of 2013 and, subsequently, Law 1773 of 2016, known as the Natalia Ponce de Leon Law—a law named after a Colombian activist and human rights advocate who is recognized nationally and internationally for surviving a brutal acid attack and becoming a symbol of resilience and justice. The law incorporated a specific offense into the Penal Code for injuries caused by chemical agents and established prison sentences of up to 20 years in certain cases.

However, the existence of laws has not eliminated the problem. In Bogota, 172 victims of attacks involving chemical agents were reported between 2018 and 2023. Records also show that women continue to be particularly affected in contexts of interpersonal violence.

Thirty years after the attack against Gina Potes, the tragic story of Maria Consuelo Cordoba shows that the wounds caused by this violence can last much longer than an aggressor’s sentence.

For some survivors, the attack does not end when the acid stops burning: it continues for decades, with every surgery, every scar, every difficulty breathing, and every struggle to obtain the resources needed to keep living.