Warning: This article contains discussion of rape and suicide which some readers may find distressing.
One 25-year-old woman in Spain has been euthanized after suffering from depression, despite attempts from her father to block the procedure from going through on the grounds that she had a personality disorder.
Assisted dying is one of the biggest ethical conversations currently ongoing in several parts of the world, as while some governments allow for people to end their life on their own terms, others have blocked laws that would legalize the procedure.
It remains a controversial topic that many believe doesn't have a clear right or wrong answer, and protests have continued in countries that allow individuals to go ahead with euthanization.
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25-year-old Spanish woman Noelia Castillo Ramos became her country's first citizen to qualify for assisted dying back in 2024, with her mental health being the key factor in granting the decision.
She had received psychiatric treatment for over a decade, and was raped on two separate occasions — once allegedly by an ex-boyfriend and another by a group of three men in 2022.
Noelia suffered a severe spinal cord injury after an suicide attempt following the 2022 incident, leaving her paraplegic, and she had previously attempted suicide on a number of occasions.
Following the successful request for euthanization back in 2024, Noelia passed away on March 26, winning out in a legal battle against her family who attempted to prevent the procedure from being carried out.
The legal challenge was led primarily by her father, who she claimed told her that "I had no heart, that I didn't think of others, that everything I said was a lie," Noelia revealed in an interview with Spanish TV channel Antena 3, translated by El Pais.
Speaking just days before her death this week, Noelia said: "Let's see if I can get some rest because I can't take this family anymore, I can't take the pain anymore, I can't take everything that torments me in my head from what I've been through."
She clarified that she doesn't "want anyone to follow in my footsteps," adding that "it's just my life and that's all there is to it," denying any attempts to make her an advocate of sorts for the controversial procedure.
The legal challenge from her father, motivated primarily by his claims that a personality disorder was distorting her ability to consent to the euthanization process, delayed her death for nearly two years, yet the Constitutional Court in Spain finally dismissed the appeal, declaring that there had been 'no violation of fundamental rights'.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org