Overview
- Noelia Castillo Ramos, who had sought assisted death for months, died Thursday in Barcelona after doctors administered the court‑cleared procedure.
- Her request, first approved by Catalonia’s medical commission in July 2024, was later upheld by multiple courts, with Spain’s Constitutional Court in February 2026 ruling no fundamental rights were violated.
- A final bid by her father, backed by the conservative group Abogados Cristianos, failed when the European Court of Human Rights declined to suspend the procedure earlier in March.
- Castillo cited paralysis, chronic neuropathic pain and severe psychological distress stemming from a 2022 gang rape and a subsequent suicide attempt that left her paraplegic, and her mother stayed with her despite opposing the choice.
- Spain legalized euthanasia in 2021 for adults with incurable or unbearable suffering who can give informed consent, and Christian Lawyers now signal fresh complaints and continued litigation that could shape how the law is applied.