The Young Woman Whose Father Halted Her Euthanasia: 'I Want to End with Dignity Once and for All'

Noelia, the 24-year-old whose process to receive euthanasia was halted by her father's opposition, stated on Tuesday that she had suffered 'coercion' from her family to change her decision. The young woman, who testified before the judge of the Administrative Court 12 in Barcelona, reiterated her desire to receive euthanasia and claimed that during the process, her family tried to prevent her from carrying out her wish by filling her room 'with rosaries and holy cards.' 'I want to end with dignity once and for all,' she told the judge.

In contrast, José María Fernández, the lawyer from the Christian Lawyers Foundation representing the father, denied any coercion, stating there were 'only people fighting for her life and for her to reconsider her decision.'

Outside the court, Fernández claimed that the young woman has obsessive-compulsive disorder with suicidal ideations and borderline personality disorder, which 'taints her decision,' and that the paraplegia she suffers, caused by a suicide attempt, does not cause her pain or unbearable suffering, and therefore, in his opinion, does not meet the legal requirements.

Besides Noelia, seven medical and forensic specialists testified at the hearing, unanimously stating that the young woman has 'retained competencies' and does not suffer from any mental alteration that impairs her decision-making capacity.

The trial pits the Generalitat, which supports the decision of the Catalonia Euthanasia Guarantee and Evaluation Commission that approved assisted dying in July 2024 - unanimously by its 19 members - against the girl's father, represented by the ultra-Catholic group Christian Lawyers.

The young woman requested euthanasia following a suicide attempt in October 2022, which resulted in a spinal cord injury affecting her mobility, and it was scheduled to be performed last August. However, the courts halted it after the father, represented by Christian Lawyers, requested urgent measures from the court to stop it, arguing that the young woman's consent might be tainted by her alleged mental issues, that she can walk with the aid of crutches, and that her condition could improve.

The judge suspended the young woman's euthanasia, not finding 'a serious, chronic, and incapacitating condition,' despite having received all medical endorsements.