The Constitutional Court has approved euthanasia for a 25-year-old woman paralyzed after a suicide attempt
</p><div><p>Spain's Constitutional Court has rejected an appeal by a father who wanted to stop his 25-year-old daughter's access to euthanasia, effectively upholding her right to die under the country's law.
Spain is one of many EU countries where active euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal. The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg also allow both practices under strict conditions, while Austria and Germany allow assisted death or assisted suicide under limited circumstances.
The latest case involves a 25-year-old Barcelona woman named Noelia who became paralyzed by chronic pain after a suicide attempt in 2022 in which she overdosed on drugs and jumped from a fifth-floor window, according to court documents cited by Spanish media. Her injury resulted in paralysis of both legs and what has been described as persistent suffering.
In 2024, a specialized medical committee approved the woman’s euthanasia request, and a procedure was scheduled for August 2. However, her father opposed the decision, arguing that her mental illness and disability affected the ability to make an informed choice, after he appealed. Several lower courts supported the woman’s decision.
In its ruling on Friday, the Constitutional Court said it found no violation of fundamental rights in the previous decisions that paved the way for the paralyzed woman to seek assisted death, effectively ending the domestic legal battle. Following the rejection of the appeal, lawyers for the family announced plans to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.
‘We are bringing Noelia’s case to the Strasbourg Court’ Christian Lawyers, a Catholic group acting as the legal representatives of Noelia’s father, commented on the ruling. “We will defend her life to the end.”
Spain legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide in June 2021, allowing adults with serious or incurable conditions to seek a medically assisted death. According to government data, 426 people underwent euthanasia in 2024, an increase of almost 48% compared to the first full year after legalization in 2022.
Despite widespread public support for assisted dying in Spain, the law’s passage was controversial and sparked debate between liberal reformers and opponents, including conservative political parties and the Catholic Church, who argue that the law devalues life.
