Gang-rape victim, 25, becomes first person in Spain to die by euthanasia after jumping off roof in suicide bid that left her paralysed
Noelia Castillo, from Barcelona, died on Thursday at the Sant Pere de Ribes assisted living facility where she lived, after a legal battle that lasted more than a year and a half
A woman who was gang-raped and tried to take her own life has become the first person in Spain to die by euthanasia.
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Noelia Castillo, from Barcelona, died on Thursday at the Sant Pere de Ribes assisted living facility where she lived, after a legal battle that lasted more than a year and a half.
A Spanish court overruled her father’s efforts to have the procedure halted earlier today.
Christian Lawyers, the ultraconservative Catholic organisation which has been representing Noelia's father, said tonight: "Noelia has already been euthanised.
'At Christian Lawyers, we deeply regret her death and denounce that this case highlights the serious flaws in the euthanasia law, which does not protect the most vulnerable people.
"We urge politicians to use her story to drive urgent changes and prevent something like this from happening again.
"Thanks to everyone who has empathised with the family during these very difficult times.
"You can understand that the parents are broken after years of trying to support her in her rehabilitation."
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Noelia was in a state-supervised centre for vulnerable youth in 2022 when she was gang-raped by three men.
The trauma led her to try and take her own life however, she survived but was left paralysed from the waist down and in chronic pain.
Noelia spent parts of her life in institutional care following a difficult childhood.
In an interview on the Spanish Antena 3 programme Y Ahora Sonsoles, she said: “I want to go now and stop suffering, period. None of my family is in favor of euthanasia. But what about all the pain I've suffered during all these years?
“I don't feel like doing anything: not going out, not eating. Sleeping is very difficult for me, and I have back and leg pain.
“I've told them how I want it to be. I want to die looking beautiful. I've always thought I want to die looking good. I'll wear my prettiest dress and put on makeup; it will be something simple,” she said.
Her father sought to block her euthanasia through the courts, arguing against her right to die. “He hasn't respected my decision and he never will. Why does he want me alive? To keep me in a hospital?”
Her father, supported by conservative advocacy group Abogados Cristianos (Christian Lawyers), argued that his daughter’s mental health was affecting her ability to make a free and informed decision.
But the court ultimately decided that Noelia had the “full capacity to decide” whether to end her life by assisted dying.
In June 2021, Spain legalised euthanasia and assisted suicide for people with incurable or severely debilitating conditions who wish to end their lives.
Spanish law states that applicants who are over 18 with “chronic or invalidating suffering” can choose to receive assisted dying.
Assisted dying is currently illegal in the UK under the Suicide Act 1961.
The impact of suicide reaches far and wide. Call Samaritans for free on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit samaritans.org for more information.