Noelia Castillo Ramos of Barcelona, Spain is scheduled to be euthanized today, Thursday. The 25-year-old’s decision to end her life comes after a long legal battle with her father, which ended in a verdict in her favour.
Noelia said she was raped on two occasions, once by her ex-boyfriend and the second time by three boys in 2022, according to a Sky News report.
What happened to Noelia
Noelia jumped from a fifth-floor apartment in October 2022 in a cocaine-fueled suicide attempt after previously overdosing on medication, according to legal rulings.
The fall left her paralyzed and now in severe, chronic and debilitating pain with no prospect of recovery, Sky News reported, citing the 25-year-old’s medical reports.
Noelia’s first request for euthanasia
Two years after the incident, Noelia formally requested assisted dying. In July 2024, her request was initially granted by a specialized expert commission in Catalonia.
Spain legalized both voluntary euthanasia and assisted dying in March 2021, allowing adults with serious, incurable conditions that cause unbearable suffering to choose to end their lives, provided they can give informed consent.
Under Spanish law, voluntary euthanasia means that a doctor administers a lethal injection, while assisted death allows the patient to self-administer medication provided by the doctor.
Noelia’s procedure was scheduled for August 2, 2024, but her father blocked it.
Legal battle with father
Noelia’s father – Geronimo Castillo, backed by the ultra-conservative advocacy group Abogados Cristianos, or Christian Lawyers – reportedly argued that Noelia’s mental illness impaired her ability to decide to end her life, according to Sky News.
He challenged Noelia’s request for euthanasia – taking it through the Spanish courts and finally reaching Spain’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, in February. The court rejected his argument, stating that there was no violation of fundamental rights.
Geronimo Castillo then appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, which rejected his request for interim measures to halt the proceedings on March 10, according to El Pais. In a last-ditch effort, his legal team asked a lower court for “urgent preventive measures,” but the judge denied the request, citing lack of jurisdiction.
What parents said
“I want to leave in peace now and stop suffering, period,” Noelia told Spanish TV show Y Ahora Sonsoles in her interview, which was filmed at her maternal grandmother’s house.
Noelia’s mother, Yolanda ‘Yoli’ Ramos, told the TV station that while she hopes her daughter will change her mind, she will stand by her “until the very end.”
When will Noelia be put to death?
Noelia Castillo Ramos is scheduled to be euthanized at 17:00 Spanish time, which is 16:00 UK time (21:30 IST), Sky News reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
