Noelia’s euthanasia, a 25-year-old young woman in Barcelona, will be carried out this Thursday at 18:00 hours after Justice has rejected in the last hours the father’s last attempt to stop the procedure, according to El Mundo. The judicial decision clears any obstacle for the execution of assisted death, after more than two years of battle in the courts.
The resolution occurs in a context of growing social and ecclesiastical concern. The Subcommittee for the Family and Defense of Life of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) has made public a note in which it states that it contemplates “with deep pain the situation of Noelia”, emphasizing that her case “cannot be interpreted only in terms of individual autonomy”.
Justice Rejects Father’s Last Appeal
The Barcelona court has dismissed this same Thursday a new request from the young woman’s father, presented through Abogados Cristianos, to suspend the euthanasia. The request occurred just hours before its application.
This is the second recent attempt by the parent to stop the procedure, after a first request, presented on March 19 last, was also rejected by the magistrate.
With this latest judicial decision, the authorization granted in July 2024 by the Guarantee and Evaluation Commission of Catalonia is confirmed, which unanimously approved Noelia’s euthanasia request presented in April of that same year.
Episcopal Conference Warns: “It Is Not a Medical Act”
In the face of the imminent application of euthanasia, the Spanish Episcopal Conference has published — already very late — a note in which it insists that “euthanasia and assisted suicide are not a medical act, but the deliberate breaking of the bond of care”.
The bishops emphasize that Noelia’s case does not respond to a terminal illness, but to a situation of suffering that “demands attention, treatment, and hope”, and warn that presenting death as a solution constitutes “a social defeat”.
Likewise, they remind that the dignity of the person “does not depend on their state of health or their subjective perception of life”, and demand a response based on accompaniment, adequate care, and comprehensive support.
Call for a Culture of Care
The Subcommittee for the Family and Defense of Life has expressed its closeness to the young woman and her family, while making a call to strengthen psychological care resources and support networks.
“When life hurts, the response cannot be to shorten the path, but to walk it together”, conclude the bishops, in a message that appeals to the responsibility of the entire society in the face of situations of extreme suffering.