Overview
- Noelia Castillo, 25, died by euthanasia at a sociosanitary center in the province of Barcelona after a nearly two-year court battle over her request.
- Courts in Barcelona and Catalonia, Spain’s Supreme Court and Constitutional Court, and the European Court of Human Rights rejected her father’s appeals and a last attempt to compel psychiatric treatment.
- She became paraplegic after a 2022 suicide attempt that followed reported sexual assaults, and doctors documented chronic, severe, irreversible suffering that left her dependent on constant care.
- Spain’s 2021 law allows euthanasia for adults judged capable who face grave, chronic, incapacitating, and irreversible suffering, with two written requests, independent medical evaluations, and final approval by a regional commission.
- Outside her residence, supporters and religious groups gathered as she gave a TV interview about her pain, and Vox and the Popular Party criticized the outcome while the government said it respected her decision.