Noelia, the young paraplegic who fought against her father to be able to receive euthanasia, speaks for the first time: "I have 4 days left because they're doing it on the 26th."

The euthanasia of Noelia Castillo Ramos, the 25-year-old from Barcelona who became paraplegic in 2022, will be carried out this Thursday, March 26 after a long judicial process with the frontal opposition of her father and the sustained support of the institutions. The decision, already final in Spain, comes after the rejection of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to provisionally suspend the procedure, clearing the last obstacle for its immediate application. Noelia herself has given a voice and a date to that outcome in an interview granted to the program 'Y ahora Sonsoles', from Antena 3, recorded days before the intervention. This is her only public appearance in this whole process. "I have four days left because on the 26th they will perform euthanasia on me," she affirms with serenity in the preview that the magazine has made, in statements that condense two years of litigation, family tensions and a decision sustained without fissures. The judicial itinerary of the case has been exhaustive. Since the Guarantee and Evaluation Commission of Catalonia (CGAC) authorized euthanasia on July 18, 2024, at the express request of the young woman, the procedure has been systematically challenged by her father, with the legal support of Christian Lawyers. None of those appeals have succeeded. The Supreme Court endorsed the legality of the process and, subsequently, the Constitutional Court unanimously rejected the appeal for protection, not finding "violation of a fundamental right." In its ruling, the Second Chamber ruled out any breach of the right to life or effective judicial protection, thus consolidating the firmness of the authorization.

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With that backing, the Generalitat of Catalonia reactivated the administrative procedure, which had been halted during the judicial phase, and the CGAC appointed the medical team in charge of carrying out the provision. The schedule then remained pending the latest developments in the European arena. That last front was resolved this Tuesday, when the ECHR communicated the dismissal of the precautionary measures requested by the family. Although the Strasbourg court must still rule on the merits of the case, its refusal to suspend euthanasia has allowed the process to continue without further delay.

The Patient's Will Versus Family Conflict

In parallel to the judicial process, the case has been marked by a deep family conflict. Noelia has maintained a firm position regarding her decision at all times, despite her parents' opposition. "I was clear from the beginning," she says in the interview, in which she insists that her will has not changed over these two years. “None of my family is in favor, but a father's happiness does not have to be above that of a daughter or a daughter's life,” she emphasizes. The young woman acknowledges the suffering that her decision causes in her environment, but asserts her right to end a situation she considers unbearable: “I leave them suffering. But, what about my suffering?”. The deterioration of the relationship with her father has been one of the toughest elements of the process. According to her account, he even told her that “for him, she was already dead”, in a context of confrontation that has also moved to the courts. The father figure has led the legal strategy to prevent euthanasia, without managing to stop its execution. The evolution of her mother, Yolanda, has been different, as she has gone from initial opposition to resigned acceptance. “I am not in agreement, but I will always be by her side,” she affirms. Her decision to accompany her until the end introduces an intimate nuance in a case of great public exposure. According to what has transpired, she has even prepared a bag for the scheduled day, in a gesture that reflects the personal dimension of the farewell.

A case with open judicial proceedings

Despite the imminence of euthanasia, Noelia's case is not closed in the judicial sphere. Christian Lawyers keeps several fronts open in Spain, including two criminal proceedings linked to the authorization process.

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One of them is directed against the professionals who prepared the favorable assessment, who are accused of possible irregularities in the processing. The Supreme Court even described some aspects of the procedure as "surprising" and "censurable", referring to an alteration of the administrative channel.

The second procedure targets members of Catalonia's own Guarantee and Evaluation Commission, for alleged conflicts of interest. The entity warns of possible legal consequences arising from the execution of euthanasia while these processes are ongoing.