Noelia Castillo, a 25-year-old Spanish woman who fought a lengthy legal battle for the right to euthanasia after being sexually assaulted and left paraplegic, has died by assisted death. She passed away on Thursday evening in a medical facility in Sant Pere de Ribes, Barcelona province.
Castillo had struggled with psychiatric illness since her teenage years and attempted suicide in October 2022 following a sexual assault, which left her in constant pain and using a wheelchair. Eighteen months later, she used Spain's euthanasia law, enacted in 2021, to secure permission to end her life. Her father, supported by the ultra-conservative group Christian Lawyers, opposed her application, arguing her psychiatric condition made her unable to make an informed decision.
After nearly two years of legal challenges through Spanish courts and a rejection of her father's request by the European Court of Human Rights earlier this month, Castillo's wish was granted. In a TV interview recorded days before her death, she said, 'I just want to go peacefully now and to stop suffering.' She emphasised that her decision was her own and did not want to be seen as an example to others.
According to Spain's health ministry, 1,123 people have had assisted deaths since the law came into effect in June 2021 until the end of 2024. The law permits assisted dying for those with a 'serious and incurable illness' causing unbearable suffering, with two written requests and approval from a regional committee. Christian Lawyers held a press conference outside the hospital, calling for the abolition of the euthanasia law.
