The young Spanish woman Noelia Castillo, aged 25, died by euthanasia this Thursday (26) after a legal battle that lasted since 2024, when she asked for authorization to carry out the procedure.
Abogados Crisitanos, an ultra-Catholic entity that represented the young woman’s father, confirmed in a post on X that the young woman passed through this Thursday.
“I want to leave in peace and stop suffering, period,” said Castillo in an exclusive interview with national broadcaster Antena 3, a few days after the procedure.
The case generated great commotion in Spain and opened a strong debate, especially after the broadcast of the interview, both on the side of those who supported the young woman’s decision and those who suggested that she give up euthanasia.
A life of suffering
In the Antena 3 interview, Castillo explained that his decision was motivated by a complicated life. She had an unstable adolescence due to her parents’ separation at the age of 13, and had to spend a period in a shelter.
The young woman also underwent psychiatric treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Furthermore, he reported that he suffered sexual abuse and suicide attempts.
Specifically, Castillo reported three episodes of abuse: one allegedly committed by an ex-partner, another in a nightclub, where two men allegedly raped her, and the third, also in a bar, involving three boys. The young woman said she never reported them. Days after this second episode, in October 2022, the young woman attempted suicide. She survived, but the impact left her paraplegic and in a wheelchair. This was the key point that led her to consider euthanasia.
“Sleeping is very difficult for me and, on top of that, I have pain in my back and legs,” said Castillo. But he also highlighted that the suffering was not just physical. Before asking for euthanasia, “I saw my world as very dark (…) I had no goals or objectives or anything”, said the young woman, who remained hospitalized at the social and health residence in Sant Pere de Ribes.
Legal battle
The possibility of opting for euthanasia in certain cases has been legal in Spain since June 2021. For Castillo, requesting authorization was just the beginning of a complex path. Mainly because his family opposed the decision.
Castillo’s request was supported on July 18, 2024 by the Catalan Guarantee and Assessment Commission (CGAC). The body considered that she met the requirements established by law, as she presented an “irrecoverable clinical situation”, due to which she experienced “severe dependence, chronic and disabling pain and suffering”. All of this prevented her from living independently and had a negative impact on her daily activities.
To access the practice of euthanasia in Spain, the applicant goes through a deliberative process where doctors propose alternative therapeutic possibilities, confirm compliance with the conditions established by law and prepare a report that is subsequently submitted to the CGAC.
Furthermore, the applicant must submit two applications voluntarily and in writing, or by another means that allows them to register their wishes and that does not result from any external pressure, leaving a separation of at least fifteen days between the two.
But in August 2024, the young woman’s father, advised by Abogados Crisitanos, began a legal battle to try to stop his daughter, arguing that she was not capable of making this decision.
“He didn’t respect my decision and he never will,” Castillo said of his father.
Since then, the legal process has delayed Noelia’s euthanasia by 20 months and has gone through five instances. It began in a first instance court in Barcelona and continued with appeals at the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia, the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights.
When he presented the first appeal to the court of first instance, the father claimed that there were no conditions for the free granting of a will and that his daughter did not suffer from a serious and incurable illness or a serious, chronic and disabling condition, despite recognizing the existence of a serious pathology.
However, none of these bodies opposed the young woman’s decision. Everyone considered that the case met the requirements and that Castillo was capable of making such a decision.
“I understand that he is a father, that he doesn’t want to lose a daughter,” Castillo reflected during the interview. But the young woman also seemed confused, because her bond with her father was not close. “He doesn’t pay attention to me (…) why does he want me alive? To keep me in the hospital?”, explained the young woman.
A. “I finally did it and let’s see if I can finally rest,” the young woman told Antena 3. “I can’t take this family anymore, I can’t take it anymore, I can’t take everything that’s tormenting me.”
Castillo said goodbye to his entire family and asked that his end be intimate and solitary. “I don’t want anyone inside; I don’t want them to see me closing my eyes.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficult times, suicidal thoughts, or depression, seek professional help. CVV (Life Valorization Center) offers free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day by calling 188 or via the website cvv.org.br. Don’t hesitate to seek this support.
