Noelia Castillo Ramos died on Thursday at the age of 25 (Image: -)
A 25 year old Spanish woman, who was left quadriplegic after leaping from a fifth-floor window following a gang rape, was euthanised on Thursday after a protracted fight to end her life, as per her father’s lawyers. But before she died she revealed her father’s lasting message to her.
The staunchly religious group Christian Lawyers, which battled until the final moment to prevent the assisted suicide on behalf of her father, also issued a statement on X: “Noelia’s euthanasia has been carried out. We ask for prayers for her soul and her family. May she rest in peace.”
Noelia Castillo Ramos, originally from Barcelona, was scheduled to die by medically assisted suicide on Thursday, after months of disagreement with her father over the decision. Earlier in the week, she gave her last interview to Antena 3, providing a deeply personal insight into her heart-wrenching decision.
“I have four days left because on the 26th they will perform euthanasia on me,” Noelia informed the local outlet in Spanish, sparking a nationwide discussion about medically assisted suicide in her native country.
Castillo became paraplegic in 2024 after suffering a severe spinal cord injury when she jumped from the fifth floor of a building in an attempted suicide, reportedly triggered by a gang rape.
Read more: Emotional 3-word message of gang rape victim, 25, before being euthanised
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During her interview, Castillo disclosed she had known she wished to pursue medically assisted suicide since the incident. Nevertheless, her desire encountered multiple legal hurdles, initiated by her own father, who stayed steadfastly against her choice.
Her father argued that she had a personality disorder. Court documents reportedly show the young woman was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and was “relying on… the Spanish mental healthcare system” before being sexually assaulted.
The young woman revealed that her father’s resistance to her choice had merely intensified her anguish. She allegedly recounted the heartbreaking instance when he stated, “For him, she was already dead.”
After two years of legal struggles, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) conclusively determined last Tuesday that the medical procedure could proceed.
Likewise, the Spanish Constitutional Court recognised Castillo’s condition as “serious, chronic and disabling,” affording her the preliminary authorisation for the procedure.
The shocking testimony of Noelia, the Spanish woman who will receive euthanasia on Thursday: “I want to stop suffering (Image: undefined)
Spain’s Organic Law 3/2021 (LORE) permits euthanasia and assisted suicide for Spanish citizens or residents experiencing severe, incurable, or debilitating conditions causing intolerable suffering.
The legislation allows both direct euthanasia administered by healthcare professionals and assisted suicide, categorising both as natural deaths. During the emotionally charged interview, Castillo disclosed that not a single family member had supported her decision.
Nevertheless, she questioned whether her family’s happiness and comfort should take precedence over her own.
“None of my family is in favor of euthanasia. I am a pillar of the family. I leave them suffering. But what about my suffering?” she questioned. “The happiness of a father, a mother, or a sister should not be more important than that of a daughter or the life of a daughter,” she declared, standing firm on her right to choose whether to legally end her own life.
Castillo’s mother, Yolanda Ramos, voiced her opposition to her daughter’s decision. Nevertheless, she pledged to remain beside the 25 year old during her final moments.
“I do not agree, but I will always be by her side,” Ramos is reported to have said. “If she doesn’t want to live, I can’t take it anymore.”
In heartbreaking remarks, Ramos revealed that she has prepared a bag for the day her daughter dies, although she kept its contents private.
As Castillo prepared for her last days, she offered one final message to critics of her choice, “I simply want to leave in peace and stop suffering, period.”
