Spanish court authorizes euthanasia for 25-year-old woman

Noelia Castillo, a 25-year-old woman in Spain, is scheduled to undergo euthanasia following a prolonged legal battle. Castillo suffered permanent paraplegia after falling from a fifth-story building on October 4, 2022, an incident that occurred after she was a victim of a gang rape earlier that year. Having grown up in foster care, Castillo sought euthanasia citing chronic pain resulting from her injuries. Although a Catalan committee approved her request in July 2024 for an August 2, 2024, procedure, her father successfully appealed for a suspension. Following further legal petitions to the Spanish Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights, the Constitutional Court ruled in her favor in February 2026. The court determined there was no violation of rights in her request to end her life with dignity. The procedure is expected to be conducted in her rehabilitation facility.