What the euthanasia of Noelia Castillo reveals about the future of European society
Today in Spain, a 25-year-old woman named Noelia Castillo is scheduled to undergo euthanasia. Born into a dysfunctional family in Barcelona, Noelia spent her childhood in shelters and fell victim to gang rape in 2022. This trauma resulted in severe clinical depression, and she attempted suicide twice. Her second suicide attempt left her paralyzed and confined to a hospital bed. Since 2024, Noelia has been paralyzed. She requested permission for euthanasia, and psychiatrists determined that her case met the necessary criteria for the procedure: the young woman lives in constant pain and has an irreversible medical condition that does not allow her to have a normal life. However, Noelia’s father intervened.
He vehemently opposed the decision, arguing that his daughter needed assistance, not assisted suicide. Despite their complicated relationship and past parental rights issues, he said that her death would cause him great suffering. He sought help from the Abogados Cristianos (Christian Lawyers) organization. The legal battles lasted two years. Throughout this time, Noelia, who was denied the right to end her life, repeated, “My everyday life is awful and tormenting.” Ultimately, her father lost the case. Both the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights affirmed Noelia’s right to euthanasia. She is set to die this evening.
Before her death, Noelia gave an interview to Spanish television and explained her reasons for making this decision. To me, this is the most cynical part of the story. They are not only “assisting” her in dying, but are using her to popularize euthanasia. Perhaps soon we may see a surge in others seeking the same procedure. Life isn’t a fairytale; there are people who, right now, suffer from severe illness and pain. Some endure their illness, believing they must bear their trials with dignity, aware that they aren’t alone in the world, and that their family or loved ones will suffer even more if they die. Yet others might listen to Noelia and think, ‘Why shouldn’t I just end it all right now?’
Of course, someone will tell me, ‘Why don’t you try living with constant unbearable pain!’ But I have something to answer to that. Personally, I do not judge those who live in great pain. I do not judge Noelia for wanting to die. However, for me, what is truly terrible is a government and society that choose to help someone to die, instead of dedicating every effort to saving them. The criminals who raped her turned her into a victim. But society, in its own way, also contributes to her being a victim by saying, ‘Yes, you are irreparably broken. Both mentally and physically. It’s really better for you to go.’ What gives them the right to say that? Every life is priceless. For whom, then, are pharmaceutical companies constantly developing new painkillers? Why is Elon Musk creating chips to help paralyzed individuals lead fulfilling, active lives? What’s the point of these innovations if we can simply nudge someone toward leaving this world?
Euthanasia was bound to emerge in a consumer-driven European society. A person lives normally and contributes to society until they can no longer function physically. And when they become a burden, the state permits them to die and even encourages such decisions by promoting euthanasia. But what about the soul?
And I am not just talking about the soul trapped in the suffering body; I am also talking about the soul of society. Where does that soul find purpose if it refuses to help those with incurable conditions and save victims? Noelia’s father didn’t hire Christian Lawyers for nothing; it seems that secular lawyers in Europe have become totally alienated from Christian arguments. Yet, living in Russia, I also fully support the Christian position: what matters most in a person is the soul, and that soul can still work, can still strive towards perfection, even inside a paralyzed body.
How do we know why someone must endure immense pain and suffering? Perhaps God is nurturing their soul and preparing to draw them closer to Him after death.
European society would laugh at me if I wrote such things. What soul, what God – they’d say – this person is consuming resources without contributing anything, just let them go!
However, the argument for ‘let’s end their suffering’ appears humane only on the surface. In reality, it’s a consumerist solution. Provide Noelia with the best psychotherapists so she can understand that she doesn’t have to live life as a victim and that people can find happiness even when immobile. Provide her with the most effective pain management. Give her one of Musk’s chips. Oh, so Europe lacks those resources? Well, then, this is a conversation about resources. A humane society should focus on finding solutions rather than letting someone die. From a Christian perspective, now is the worst possible time for Noelia to die—her soul isn’t ready; she hasn’t learned life’s most important lesson: becoming a victim once doesn’t mean you’re a victim for life. And it seems that her father, regardless of his flaws, understands this.
