Related videos:
Noelia Castillo Ramos, a 25-year-old woman from Barcelona, died this Thursday at 6:00 PM through euthanasia at the Sant Camil Hospital in Sant Pere de Ribes, Barcelona, bringing an end to a 601-day legal battle that kept her alive against her will and which became one of the most debated cases in recent Spanish history.
According to reports from the newspaper El Mundo, Noelia had formally requested euthanasia in April 2024 after becoming paraplegic due to a fall from the fifth floor of a building on October 4, 2022, in an attempt to take her own life after being a victim of multiple sexual assaults.
The complete and irreversible spinal cord injury caused him chronic neuropathic pain, incontinence, loss of sensation, and total dependence.
The Guarantee and Evaluation Commission of Catalonia unanimously approved her application on July 18, 2024, classifying her situation as "severe, chronic, and disabling suffering."
However, his father, Gerónimo Castillo, represented by the organization Abogados Cristianos, managed to temporarily suspend the proceedings on August 1 of that year, triggering a series of legal appeals that went through all possible instances.
The Supreme Court of Justice of Catalonia ratified euthanasia in September 2025.
The Supreme Court rejected the father's appeal on January 29, 2026. The Constitutional Court unanimously dismissed the appeal for protection a few days later.
Finally, the European Court of Human Rights rejected the precautionary measures on March 10, 2026, exhausting all available legal avenues.
Noelia's Days
Last Sunday, Noelia gave her last public interview on Antena 3, the result of 12 hours of recording. In it, she announced her decision calmly: "I have four days left because on the 26th, they will carry out my euthanasia."
She also said goodbye to her grandmother Carmen and left a phrase that summarized her stance on the family opposition: "A father's happiness should not come before that of a daughter or her life."
The procedure lasted approximately 15 minutes, starting with sedation using three medications. Noelia rejected the presence of her parents during the process. Her mother stated, "We do not agree, but we are with her."
Noelia Castillo is regarded as the youngest person to receive euthanasia in Spain since the Organic Law 3/2021 on euthanasia came into effect in June 2021.
Since then and until mid-2025, the country had carried out 1,034 euthanasias, with an average age of 65 years. Their last public words summarized the essence of their struggle: "I just want to go in peace and stop suffering."
Filed under: