US Probes Spanish Euthanasia Case of Assault Victim

The U.S. government has instructed its embassy in Madrid to investigate the circumstances surrounding the euthanasia death of Noelia Castillo, a 25-year-old woman from Catalonia who endured multiple sexual assaults and became paralyzed after a suicide attempt. The procedure took place last week near Barcelona, following a prolonged legal battle that highlighted tensions over Spain's euthanasia law.

Castillo, who was assaulted several times before turning 21, attempted suicide in 2022 by jumping from a fifth-floor building, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down and in chronic pain. Reports indicate the assaults occurred while she was under state care, and the perpetrators remain at large. In a television interview the day before her death, Castillo expressed her resolve despite family opposition. "I want to go now and stop suffering, period," she told Antena 3. "None of my family is in favor of euthanasia. But what about all the pain I've suffered during all these years?"

Her request for euthanasia was approved in July 2024 by Catalonia's Commission of Guarantee and Evaluation, which determined she suffered from an irreversible condition causing severe dependency and chronic...