The Constitutional Court has approved euthanasia for a 25-year-old woman paralyzed in a suicide attempt
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[RT] Spain’s
Constitutional Court has rejected an appeal by a father seeking to halt
his 25-year-old daughter’s access to euthanasia, effectively upholding
her right to die under the country’s legislation.
Spain is one of
several EU nations where active euthanasia and assisted suicide are
legal. The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg also allow both practices
under strict conditions, while Austria and Germany permit assisted
dying or assisted suicide in limited circumstances.
The latest
case involves a 25-year-old woman from Barcelona named Noelia, who was
left paraplegic with chronic pain after a 2022 suicide attempt in which
she overdosed on medication and jumped from a fifth-floor window,
according to court documents cited by Spanish media. Her injury resulted
in paralysis of both legs and what is described as ongoing suffering.
In
2024, a specialized medical commission approved the woman’s request for
euthanasia, and a procedure was scheduled for August 2. However, her
father opposed the decision, arguing that her mental illness and
disabilities impaired the ability to make an informed choice, having
filed an appeal. Several lower courts backed the woman’s decision.
In its ruling on Friday, the Constitutional Court said it found no
violation of fundamental rights in the earlier decisions that cleared
the paralyzed woman’s path to assisted death, effectively ending the
domestic legal battle. After the rejection of the appeal, lawyers for
the family announced plans to take the matter to the European Court of
Human Rights.
“We are taking Noelia’s case to the Strasbourg Court,” Christian Lawyers, a Catholic group acting as the legal representatives of Noelia’s father, said, commenting on the ruling. “We will defend her life until the end.”
Spain
legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide in June 2021, allowing adults
with serious or incurable conditions to seek a medically facilitated
death. According to government data, 426 people underwent euthanasia in
2024, a nearly 48% rise compared with the first full year after
legalization in 2022.
Despite broad public support for assisted
dying in Spain, the law’s adoption was contentious and sparked debate
between liberal reformers and opponents, including conservative
political parties and the Catholic Church, who argue it devalues life.