Noelia Castillo's last hours were shrouded in controversy. Her best friend tried to enter the hospital to say goodbye to her but was not allowed, and her mother was also not present, as Noelia had wished. She had arranged for only the doctor to be by her side. A video showing the desperation and sadness of her friend outside the hospital was circulated on social media, causing outrage over the lack of support at such a critical moment. Thus, this Thursday, after two years of a judicial, medical, and human battle, Noelia received euthanasia at 6:00 PM local time at the Sant Camil de Sant Pere de Ribes hospital in Barcelona, as reported by Antena 3. The procedure was carried out under medical supervision and in accordance with established legal guidelines. According to press information, the procedure lasted about 15 minutes and consisted of the intravenous administration of three drugs: the first two to induce deep sedation and the third to cause respiratory arrest. The goal was to ensure a painless death for a woman who defended her right to decide until the end. According to her wishes, she was accompanied only by the doctor in charge of administering the drugs; her mother was not allowed by her side. However, her friend's failed attempt to say goodbye raised questions about the limits between health protocols and emotional support. Family Opposition Noelia's euthanasia took place after a long and exhaustive process. Her will was evaluated by specialists and backed by various judicial instances, despite opposition from her family, especially her father. According to Antena 3, all medical evaluations agreed that Noelia was fully conscious and her decision was clear and firm. Who was Noelia and why did she ask to die? Over the last two years, Noelia Castillo became a symbol of one of the most sensitive debates of our time: the right to decide on the end of one's life. Her request was marked by a prolonged process of physical and emotional suffering that led her to request euthanasia as a way to end that pain with dignity and legally. Noelia suffered several abuses, including multiple sexual assault by three boys, which led her to jump from a fifth-floor window on October 4, 2022. The fall did not kill her, but left her paralyzed with serious sequelae, as reported by the BBC. The case transcended the medical sphere and became a major lawsuit, initiated in 2023, which went through the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, and the European Court of Human Rights, all of which confirmed that all legal guarantees were met. In April 2024, she applied to the Catalonia Guarantee and Evaluation Commission, which unanimously approved her request three months later, but lawsuits, mainly filed by her father, delayed the process until this Thursday. Nevertheless, her fall from the building was not her only suicide attempt: '[I had] two suicide attempts with pills until my mother admitted me to the first psychiatric hospital,' she narrated in an interview. And there in the psychiatric hospital, she injured herself with cuts and drank a toxic product she took from a cleaning cart. This Thursday, Noelia's battle ended, but it opened an intense debate about the law, dignity, and humanity.
