25-year-old Noelia Castillo Ramos has died through assisted euthanasia in Barcelona after a prolonged legal battle that reached the European Court of Human Rights.
Ramos, who suffered severe spinal injuries that left her paralyzed and in chronic pain, had requested assisted dying under Spain’s euthanasia law, citing both physical suffering and trauma from past sexual assaults.
Reports indicate she had previously been sexually assaulted by an ex-boyfriend and was later gang-raped by multiple men in 2022 at a state-supervised facility for vulnerable youth, experiences that significantly impacted her mental health.
Her father challenged the decision in court, arguing she was mentally vulnerable and should be protected, but judges ultimately ruled in her favor, affirming her right to choose.
She passed away on March 26, 2026, at a care facility in the Barcelona area.
