{"id":283423,"date":"2026-07-14T18:07:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T14:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abcmedia.am\/?p=283423"},"modified":"2026-07-15T17:03:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T13:03:45","slug":"death-of-spanish-woman-fuels-debate-in-spain-over-euthanasia-and-organ-donation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abcmedia.am\/en\/news\/283423\/","title":{"rendered":"Death of Spanish woman fuels debate in Spain over euthanasia and organ donation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

However, the debate about who has the right to challenge an adult’s decision to have euthanasia hasn’t gone away. In May, the Supreme Court ruled that those with, ‘a particularly close connection’ to the person wanting to die may have the right to contest an application for euthanasia, the BBC<\/a> writes.<\/p>\n

Of the 565 people who died by euthanasia in 2025 in Spain, 73 chose to donate their organs. Noelia Castillo wasn’t an organ donor, but there are claims she was pressured to become one. And now the lawyers who have represented her parents are advocating a ban on organ donation in euthanasia cases.<\/p>\n

Why does this matter? Spain’s health service supports one of the world’s most successful organ donation programmes. Last year more than 2,500 Spanish people became organ donors after death. And although the number of those who had euthanasia was tiny, the beneficiaries are very real.<\/p>\n

Barcelona resident Noelia Castillo, 25, was left paraplegic due to injuries suffered when she tried to take her own life in 2022. The Catalan government granted<\/a> her the right to assisted dying in the summer of 2024 but the process was suspended at the last moment after legal objections raised by her father.<\/p>\n

The legal battle between father and daughter lasted 18 months. Ultimately, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in Noelia’s favor.<\/p>\n

In May, following her daughter’s death, Noelia’s mother appealed to Spain’s opposition leader, saying: “Please repeal the euthanasia law. I do not want there to be more Noelias.”<\/p>\n

So far, no steps have been taken in Spain to amend the country’s euthanasia law. The legislation, adopted in 2021, had received broad public support at the time.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"