Noelia Castillo Ramos, a 25-year-old woman from Barcelona who was gang raped and left paraplegic after a suicide attempt, has been granted permission to undergo euthanasia. In a final interview, she expressed her desire to 'leave in peace' after years of suffering.
Ramos sustained a severe spinal cord injury when she jumped from a fifth-floor window following the assault. The European Court of Human Rights and Spain's Constitutional Court approved her request, overruling her father's appeal. The courts found no violation of fundamental rights, citing the 2021 Organic Law on the Regulation of Euthanasia, which permits the procedure in cases of serious and enduring suffering.
Ramos had a history of mental health issues, including borderline personality disorder, and was under state care when she was gang raped in 2022. The attack exacerbated her trauma, leading to her suicide attempt and subsequent paralysis. Her mother, Yolanda Ramos, stated, 'I do not agree, but I will always be by her side.'
In her final interview, Ramos said, 'I was very clear about it from the beginning. None of my family is in favour of euthanasia... But I think, all the pain I've suffered over the years... I just want to leave in peace now and stop suffering.'
