Spanish High Court Denies Father’s Attempt to Stop Daughter’s Euthanasia

Spain's highest court has upheld a 25-year-old woman's right to end her life through euthanasia, rejecting her father's legal challenge. The woman became paralyzed after a suicide attempt in 2022 and suffers from chronic pain with no hope of recovery.

Spain’s Constitutional Court has denied a father’s legal challenge to prevent his 25-year-old daughter from proceeding with medically assisted death, according to a court announcement released Friday.

The young woman became paralyzed from the waist down following a suicide attempt in October 2022, when she jumped from a fifth-story window. Court documents reveal she had previously made multiple suicide attempts using drug overdoses while battling psychiatric illness.

Spain legalized medically assisted death and euthanasia in 2021, becoming the fourth nation in the European Union to permit the practice for individuals facing terminal or severely debilitating medical conditions. Government statistics show 426 people utilized assisted dying services in 2024.

A specialized medical panel in Catalonia granted approval for the woman’s euthanasia request in July 2024, with the procedure originally set for August 2nd. However, her father’s ongoing legal battles have prevented the process from moving forward.

Medical documentation indicates the patient experiences severe, ongoing, and disabling pain from her injuries, with medical professionals stating no possibility exists for improvement in her condition.

The father received backing from Abogados Cristianos, an ultra-conservative advocacy organization known as “Christian Lawyers,” who contended that the woman’s psychiatric condition might compromise her capacity to make a rational, well-informed choice regarding ending her life.

Multiple lower courts had previously sided with the woman’s position, and Friday’s ruling by Spain’s highest court determined no fundamental rights violations had occurred.

While Spanish citizens generally support assisted dying rights, the euthanasia legislation passed only after prolonged resistance from conservative political parties and the Catholic Church, which has traditionally influenced Spanish perspectives on end-of-life decisions.

The Christian Lawyers organization announced Friday they plan to escalate the matter to the European Court of Human Rights.

“We will not abandon these parents. We will continue to fight to the end to defend their right to save their daughter’s life,” stated Polonia Castellanos, who leads the advocacy group.