Noelia Castillo Ramos, a 25-year-old paraplegic woman from near Barcelona, Spain, died by euthanasia on March 26, 2026, at Hospital Residència Sant Camil in Sant Pere de Ribes, following a request approved in 2024 despite prolonged appeals by her father citing her mental health disorders. The case, rooted in childhood trauma and a 2022 suicide attempt, has reignited debates on Spain's euthanasia law.
Noelia Castillo Ramos entered a state-supervised youth center in Catalonia at age 13 amid her parents' divorce and family financial hardship, her father Gerónimo later confirmed. There, she was reportedly gang-raped by three young men—described in some reports as North African migrants—with authorities providing limited details and no action against the perpetrators. She had also endured a prior rape by a former boyfriend. These events triggered severe depression, borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other mental health issues.
On October 4, 2022, Castillo attempted suicide by jumping from a fifth-floor window, surviving with irreversible paraplegia (74% disability), chronic neuropathic pain, and exacerbated mental conditions. Spain legalized euthanasia in 2021 under a Socialist-led government. She filed her request in April 2024, which the Catalan Guarantee and Evaluation Commission (CGAC) unanimously approved three months later, verifying her 'grave, chronic, and disabling' suffering.
Her father, supported by the Christian legal group Abogados Cristianos and lawyer José María Fernández, challenged the decision, arguing her disorders impaired her capacity. Appeals progressed through Barcelona's Contentious Court 12, the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC), Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, and European Court of Human Rights—all rejecting the claims and confirming her decision-making ability. The process delayed euthanasia for 601 days. On March 26 morning, a Barcelona instruction court denied a final suspension request tied to psychiatric treatment.
Around 6:00 p.m., non-objecting doctors administered a lethal intravenous sedation injection in her room, halting her heart and breathing. The facility was secured by Mossos d'Esquadra amid protests from Abogados Cristianos, Christian groups, and Vox deputies María García Fuster and Júlia Calvet, who prayed outside; family waited separately. Castillo wished to 'go in peace and stop suffering,' planning to wear her prettiest dress, apply makeup, and die alone with childhood photos nearby, despite family opposition. Her mother, who opposed the procedure, remained by her side.
Reactions varied: El País noted the legal fight prolonged her suffering; author Irene Gonzalez labeled it a 'state execution' on X amid institutional failures; El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele criticized prioritizing death autonomy over life protection; Bishop Luis Argüello stated 'her true relief is not suicide'; PP and Vox politicians decried a 'state failure.' The father's lawyer said the legal, procedural, and healthcare systems failed, offering only death. Supporters argued the law's safeguards functioned, upholding her consistent wish.
