Warning: This story contains references to sexual assault and suicide
A Spanish woman who fought a long legal battle with her father to gain the right to end her life died by euthanasia on Thursday.
Noelia Castillo, 25, a resident of Barcelona, became paraplegic due to injuries sustained when she attempted suicide in 2022.
The Catalan government granted him the right to medically assisted dying in the summer of 2024, but the procedure was suspended at the last moment after legal objections raised by his father, with the support of the conservative campaign group Christian Lawyers (Abogados Cristianos).
He argued that his daughter suffered from a personality disorder that affected her judgment.
He also underlined “the obligation of the State to protect the lives of people, particularly the most vulnerable, as is the case of a young person suffering from mental health problems”.
This appeal sparked an 18-month legal battle that ended when the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in favor of Noelia Castillo.
On Thursday evening, Abogados Cristianos announced on X that Castillo had died by euthanasia. The group said his case “highlights serious flaws” in Spain’s euthanasia law.
Speaking to Spanish television earlier this week, Castillo said his father had tried to legally block his decision to die with dignity. “He did not respect my decision and never will,” she said.
She also recounted her difficult childhood, spent largely in retirement homes.
She said she was first sexually assaulted by her ex-boyfriend of four years after she took sleeping pills to help him sleep, and was also assaulted on another occasion by several men at a nightclub.
The 25-year-old said she had always “felt alone” and never doubted her willingness to make the decision to die by euthanasia.
“No one in my family is in favor of it,” she said. “I leave and you stay here with all the pain, but what about all the suffering I’ve endured over the years? I just want to leave in peace and stop the pain.
“The happiness of a father, mother or sister should not precede the happiness of a daughter.”
Her family will be able to come and say goodbye, Noelia said, but added that she wants to be alone with her doctor when the lethal injection is performed.
Her mother Yolanda said she didn’t agree with her daughter’s decision but “respected” her.
Spain’s euthanasia law took effect in 2021. According to government data, 426 requests for assisted dying were granted in 2024, the most recent year available.
It was the first time a case had been brought before a court for a judge to decide.
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