Girl who survived gang rape granted right to euthanasia: "I can't take it anymore, I want to die peacefully"

Noelia Castillo will undergo the procedure on Thursday at the rehabilitation center where she currently lives, bringing to an end a legal battle that has lasted more than a year and a half.Her request for euthanasia was approved by the Catalan government in July 2024, but the process was subsequently delayed when her father, supported by the ultraconservative Catholic organization &ldquo;Christian Lawyers,&rdquo; filed a series of legal appeals.These appeals were rejected at multiple levels of the Spanish judicial system, including the Constitutional Court of Spain and the Supreme Court of Spain, clearing the way for the euthanasia to proceed.An attempt to halt the procedure at the last minute before the European Court of Human Rights was also rejected this week. While the court will continue to examine the case, its decision means there is no need for further postponement of the procedure.Castillo, who has been in a wheelchair since 2022, has spoken openly about her decision and the suffering she says led her to it.&ldquo;I want to go now and stop suffering, period. No one in my family supports euthanasia. But what about all the pain I&rsquo;ve endured all these years? I have no will for anything, not to go out, not to eat. Sleeping is very hard for me, and I have pain in my back and legs,&rdquo; she said.Speaking about her family members, she added, &ldquo;The happiness of a father, mother, or sister cannot be more important than the life of a daughter.&rdquo;She wants to be alone at the endIn an interview aired on Spanish television channel Antena 3, she described how she wants to spend her final moments.&ldquo;I told them how I want it to look. I want to die beautiful. I&rsquo;ve always thought I want to look beautiful when I die. I will wear my nicest dress and put on makeup&mdash;it will be something simple,&rdquo; she said.She invited family members to say their goodbyes beforehand but emphasized that she wants to be alone when receiving the injection.Castillo spent much of her childhood in child care institutions due to her parents&rsquo; struggles with addiction and mental health, and she says that the gang rape in 2022 was a turning point in her life.According to Spanish media reports, a few days before she attempted to take her own life, she was sexually assaulted by a former partner along with three other men. 🇪🇸 La &uacute;ltima entrevista de Noelia Castillo Ramos, una espa&ntilde;ola de 25 a&ntilde;os que recibir&aacute; la eutanasia dentro de 48 horas debido a sus problemas de TLP, depresi&oacute;n y una paraplej&iacute;a causada por un intento fallido de suicidio. pic.twitter.com/J74qG5MfDA&mdash; Progresismo Out Of Context (@OOCprogresismo2) March 24, 2026Who is eligible for euthanasia?Spain is one of the few countries that has legalized euthanasia, under a 2021 law that sets strict conditions. According to this law, any person who is fully conscious and suffering from a &ldquo;serious and incurable illness&rdquo; or a &ldquo;chronic and disabling condition&rdquo; may request assisted dying.Her father argued that his daughter has mental disorders that &ldquo;may affect her ability to make a free and informed decision,&rdquo; as required by law. He also claimed that there were indications she had changed her mind, and that her condition did not constitute &ldquo;unbearable physical or psychological suffering.&rdquo;Despite an intense legal battle, Noelia Castillo personally contacted Antena 3 after learning the date of the euthanasia, leaving a final message:&ldquo;I finally made it. Let&rsquo;s see if I can finally rest, because I can no longer bear this family, the pain, and everything that haunts me from what I&rsquo;ve gone through. I don&rsquo;t want to be an example to anyone&mdash;this is simply my life, and that&rsquo;s all,&rdquo; she said.Her mother, who also appeared in the interview, said she wishes she had a &ldquo;magic wand&rdquo; to change her daughter&rsquo;s mind.The struggle continues after deathAlthough the euthanasia is now scheduled, legal proceedings related to this case will continue. The organization &ldquo;Christian Lawyers&rdquo; has filed additional complaints against the medical staff, members of the Catalan Commission for Guarantees and Evaluation, and a former regional health minister, alleging irregularities.The European Court of Human Rights will also later decide whether any rights were violated, meaning the broader legal issues raised by this case will remain unresolved even after her death.According to the organization &ldquo;Christian Lawyers,&rdquo; the euthanasia procedure is scheduled to take place this evening at 6:00 p.m. local time.

Girl who survived gang rape granted right to euthanasia: "I can't take it anymore, I want to die peacefully"

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