The administration of euthanasia for 25-year-old Noelia Castillo Ramos took place in Spain on March 26 — an event occurring after she faced immense life challenges since childhood and following nearly two years of a legal battle waged by her parents to preserve her life.
According to Spanish law, to request euthanasia, an individual must be of legal age and be both mentally capable and fully conscious at the time of the request; they must also hold Spanish citizenship or have maintained legal residency for more than 12 months and “be suffering from a serious and incurable disease or a serious, chronic, and disabling condition, as certified by the attending physician.”
On March 24 it was reported that the European Court of Human Rights rejected the interim measures requested by Castillo’s family to halt her euthanasia, bringing an end to a legal battle spanning nearly two years.
The following day, an interview with Castillo aired on the Spanish television network Antena 3 in which she described how she feels: “I have no desire to do anything — not to go out, not to eat, not to do anything at all. … Sleeping is very difficult for me; furthermore, I suffer