Noelia Castillo, 25, who was left paraplegic after two sexual assaults and suffered from severe mental illness, ended her life in an assisted manner, using Spain's euthanasia law. Her story began when, as a teenager, she was sexually assaulted by her ex-boyfriend and then by three boys, which led her to attempt suicide.
In October 2022, she jumped from the fifth-floor window of an apartment building in an attempt to end her life, fueled by cocaine use, following a previous suicide attempt through a drug overdose, according to legal rulings.
The fall left her paraplegic, losing the function of her legs, and she suffered from severe, chronic and intractable pain, with no chance of improvement, according to medical reports.
After an 18-month legal battle to secure the right to euthanasia, a Spanish law passed in 2021 gave her the option to end her life with assisted suicide. Her attempts to obtain euthanasia had been opposed by her father and a conservative group called Christian Lawyers. They argued that Noelia's mental state would make her incapable of making an informed decision about her life.
After almost two years of legal challenges in Spanish regional and national courts, the European Court of Human Rights rejected her father's request to suspend euthanasia. On Thursday evening, Noelia's wish for an assisted death was granted and she passed away at a medical center in the town of Sant Pere de Ribes, province of Barcelona.
Her case has drawn public attention and refocused debates on euthanasia. According to the latest data from the Spanish health ministry, 1,123 people underwent assisted death between June 2021 – when the law came into force – and the end of 2024.
The law allows any adult who has a “serious and incurable illness” or a serious, chronic, and disabling condition to apply for euthanasia if they are “capable and conscious” when making the request. The law defines a serious and incurable illness as one that “causes persistent and unbearable physical or mental pain, without the possibility of relief that the person considers acceptable, with a limited life expectancy, in a context of progressive frailty.”
The candidate must submit two written requests and consult with medical professionals not previously involved in the case before a regional committee of experts approves the request. The law allows for two ways to end life: direct administration of a lethal substance by an authorized health professional, or giving the prescription/substance to the patient who wishes to use it themselves.
In a television interview a few days before she died, Noelia, who had been in psychiatric treatment since the age of 13 and had attempted suicide several times, defended her decision: "I just want to go peacefully now and stop the suffering," she told Antena 3.
"That's all... I don't want to do anything else. I don't want to go out, I don't want to eat, I don't want to do anything."
She added that she always felt lonely because she was not understood by others. “I managed to take care of myself, take a shower and put on my own make-up… I finally did it,” she said.
"Now I want to rest because I can't go on with this family, with the pain and all the things that torture my mind."
Noelia emphasized that she had made the decision solely for herself and did not want to be seen as an example to anyone.
"I don't want anyone to follow in my footsteps. I don't want people to ask how the process works because they want to know about euthanasia. My life is my life and that's all."
The Christian Lawyers group held a press conference outside the hospital where she died to reiterate their opposition to the euthanasia law and offer prayers for her soul and family.
“Noelia’s case has moved the world,” they said. “The euthanasia law must be repealed. Every life must be protected, not abandoned.”
