Spanish woman who won legal battle for right to euthanasia has assisted death
The Guardian • • world
Key Points:
- Noelia Castillo, a 25-year-old Spanish woman who became paraplegic and suffered psychiatric illness after a sexual assault and suicide attempt, has died by assisted euthanasia under Spain’s 2021 euthanasia law.
- Castillo faced legal opposition from her father and the ultra-conservative group Christian Lawyers, who argued her psychiatric condition impaired her ability to make an informed decision, but courts including the European Court of Human Rights ultimately allowed her request.
- Spain’s euthanasia law permits adults with serious, incurable illnesses or disabling conditions causing unbearable suffering to apply for assisted death after medical assessments and approvals by a regional committee.
- In a final interview, Castillo emphasized her decision was personal and not meant as an example for others, expressing exhaustion with her pain, family situation, and public misunderstanding of her life.
- Christian Lawyers condemned the euthanasia law and Castillo’s death, calling for the law’s abolition and advocating for the defense of all lives.
