The young woman should testify today in the Spanish court in an effort to persuade the judge to let her die voluntarily against her father’s wishes, in the first such case.
The 23-year-old who wants to end her life is paraplegic because of injuries suffered when she tried to take her own life in 2022.
She has the support of the Catalonia Regional Government after the Local Committee on the Guarantee and Evaluation of Euthanasia unanimously supported her decision in July 2024.
Euthanasia is an act of deliberately ending a person’s life to alleviate suffering. It can be inadvertent – for example, if a person is in a coma and cannot give their consent – or voluntarily, as in this case.
The woman was supposed to die in August, but the procedure was suspended at the last minute because of the legal complaints that her father had made, with the support of the Christian lawyer (ABOGADOS Cristianos).
“I feel misunderstood by my family, I feel alone and empty, this situation causes me a great deal of suffering,” said the woman, according to documents relating to the case of Spanish media.
In this case, the legal representation of the Catalan Government stated that “no evidence of a scientific or professional character in contrast to many medical reports that support the decision have not been presented [to die]. “
However, the woman’s father claimed that he was suffering from personality disorders that affect her judgment and he pointed to “the obligation of the state to protect the lives of people, especially the most vulnerable, as is the case with a young person with mental health problems.”
He also said she responded well to rehabilitation treatment.
His legal representation also claimed that a young woman had changed his mind several times about Euthanasia.
The public prosecutor did not position himself in view of the case, but urged the judge to listen to the opinions of the experts and the woman herself before making the decision.
Among those who also had to testify in a court in Barcelona, are members of the Euthanasia Committee who estimated her case, a neuro-rehab specialist and a psychiatric expert.
AND The Law on Euthanasia was introduced in Spain in 2021But this is the first time the case has gone to court for the judge to decide.
Last year, the Barcelona judge rejected a man’s attempt to complain of the euthanasia of his 54-year-old son after being approved by the Committee on Guarantee and Estimation.
