Noelia Castillo Ramos, 25, will become the first Spanish citizen euthanised as she explains heartbreaking decision
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
A 25-year-old will be euthanised in Spain later today (26 March), after becoming the first citizen to qualify for assisted death on the grounds of mental health.
Noelia Castillo Ramos, from Barcelona, first requested permission to medically end her life in 2024.
Two years earlier, she'd made several attempts on her life, one of which left her paraplegic and battling constant agony, Reuters reports.
Advert
A specialised medical commission unanimously approved the decision just months after receiving her application.
Spanish lawmakers legalised voluntary euthanasia and assisted death in March 2021. Both are strictly limited to Spanish citizens.
The former practice refers to a doctor providing eligible patients with a lethal injection.
The latter refers to a terminally ill person receiving lethal drugs from a practitioner, which they'll administer themselves.
Only adults with 'serious and incurable' conditions that inflicted 'unbearable suffering' were eligible when the law was passed.
Anyone seeking a medically assisted end to their life must be able to provide informed consent to the decision, the legislation also stipulated.
Noelia was initially scheduled to undergo euthanasia just a month after her request was approved in August 2024.
The process, however, came to a grinding halt when her father filed a legal objection.
Backed by a campaign group of Christian lawyers (Abogados Cristianos), he appeared in court in March of last year, pleading with a judge to stop the procedure, claiming she had a personality disorder that affects her judgment.
He also discussed 'the obligation of the state to protect the lives of people, especially the most vulnerable, as is the case with a young person with mental health problems', arguing that medically aided suicide wasn't the right course of action.
The father's lawyers also claimed that Noelia had changed her mind regarding euthanasia several times, indicating she wasn't totally sold on the decision.
According to the BBC, Noelia also attended the 2025 proceedings, telling attendees at the time: "I want to finish with dignity once and for all."
The judge ruled in her favour, with the Catalan government's legal representation claiming they'd observed 'no evidence of a scientific or expert character has been presented to contradict the many medical reports which support the decision [to die]'.
In her last television interview, given to Televisión Pública Noticias earlier this week, Noelia revealed that 'none' of her family members are 'in favour' of her decision, claiming: "I am a pillar of the family. I am leaving them suffering."
She went on to ask: "But what about my suffering?"
Noelia added, however, that her family's take on the case hasn't persuaded her to change her mind.
"No, I was very clear from the beginning," she continued. "I simply want to go in peace, stop suffering, and that’s it.
"The happiness of a father or mother should not be above the happiness of a daughter."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123 or contact Harmless by visiting their website https://harmless.org.uk.
For advice, support, and more information, you can contact the nurse-led specialist team at Compassion in Dying via their helpline 0800 999 2434. You can also email them at [email protected].
Topics: World News, News, Life, Real Life, True Life
Rhianna Benson