Leaders, journalists and organizations reported that the same Sánchez, who failed to protect the young woman when she was under institutional guardianship, ended up authorizing the euthanasia procedure that ended her life.
The story of Noelia Castillo dates back to 2022, when she was under state guardianship in a juvenile center. According to the story released in the case, there he suffered gang rape by illegal immigrants, a fact that would mark a turning point in his life. Soon after, on October 4, 2022, the young woman tried to commit suicide by throwing herself from the fifth floor of a building. He survived, but the consequences were devastating and irreversible
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After the fall, Noelia was left with complete paraplegia, in addition to suffering from neuropathic pain, sensory disorders, fecal incontinence and total functional dependence that prevented her from regaining autonomy. In this context of physical and psychological deterioration, on April 10, 2024, he formally began his request for euthanasia before the corresponding commission in Catalonia, beginning a process that went through different judicial instances for months until it was
The death of Noelia Castillo Ramos, which occurred this Thursday, March 26 in Spain after carrying out the procedure of euthanasia authorized by Justice, caused shock and a strong controversy that quickly spread nationally and internationally. In social networks, media and political sectors, a question began to be strongly repeated that summarizes the climate of indignation experienced by millions of citizens: Why do they murder the victim of rape and not the rapists? . The case thus became a symbol of the debate on the role of the State during the Pedro Sánchez administration, especially with regard to the protection of minors under state guardianship and to migration policy
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In this context, different political and media figures reacted harshly. The leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, publicly exploded against the Spanish Executive and launched a criticism that quickly went viral: “The State takes a daughter from her parents. The Menas rape her. And the solution given to her by the State is to commit suicide. Sanchez's Spain is a horror film.” His words reflected the tone of much of the public debate that took place in Spain after the news broke.
The impact also reached the European level. The president of the ECR group and former Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, reacted to the case and responded to Abascal, highlighting coordination between European political sectors that share criticism of the direction of the Spanish government. In this context, he said: “We must stay together and restore normality.”
At the media level, one of the strongest statements was that of the journalist and businessman Javier Negre, president of Real America's Voice Español and owner of La Derecha Diario, who reacted extremely harshly to the case of the 25-year-old girl. Negre said: “Those who should be euthanized are the menas who raped Noelia.” In addition, in his X account, he published another message that fueled the public debate: “The Sánchez government helping to die a young woman who was helpless after reporting a multiple rape by aggressors of whom nothing is known. My bet? That they were immigrants and minors. It's terrible.”
Noelia Castillo's case
Within the same climate of criticism of the Spanish Executive, direct accusations were spread from opposition sectors against the Pedro Sánchez government, stating that “it mattered illegal immigrants who raped her in packs in a juvenile facility, did not arrest her rapists, did not accompany her after her suicide attempt and induced her to die against her father's will”. These statements circulated widely in the public debate and became one of the axes of political controversy
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Isabel Pérez, national spokesperson for Agenda España, also spoke out, who harshly questioned the role of the State in the case. In public statements, she said: “As a woman, as a mother and as a Spaniard, I want to denounce a State that has turned its back on a victim,” and added a direct criticism of the country's institutional functioning: “This case reflects the moral degradation of institutions that have ceased to fulfill their main function: to protect citizens
finally approved. Pedro Sánchez and Noelia Castillo
In the days before his death, however, complaints emerged that increased controversy. The president of Christian Lawyers, Polonia Castellanos, publicly assured that the hospital would have pushed for euthanasia due to issues related to organ donation. As he said: “What his mother told us is that when we won the first precautionary measures, what they tell him is that 'you can't do that because we already had all your
organs compromised. '”
Castellanos also explained that, as a result of this situation, Noelia's mother made her daughter sign a document to refuse organ donation. Along the same lines, the lawyers in the case said: “Noelia was considering accepting euthanasia, but the hospital told her that there were 'several people who could be saved with their organs'. The mother was present when they told her. She didn't want her daughter to donate her organs.”
The controversy also reached the hospital committee that intervened in the medical decision. According to the complaint, its members include people linked to transplantation-related organizations and associations that promote euthanasia, such as the Right to Die with Dignity Association. In this regard, Polonia Castellanos said: “The one who donates and the one who receives do not take money, but all the doctors, doctors and hospitals that participate do take money”, and he remarked forcefully: “Obviously, there are a lot of irregularities in this case
.” Pedro Sánchez
Noelia Castillo's final hours were also marked by moments of tension in the Barcelona hospital where she was hospitalized. Her best friend, Carla Rodríguez, tried to come in to say goodbye and talk to her with the intention of reconsidering her decision.
However, the health center established a security cordon that prevented the entry of people not authorized by the medical protocol, a situation that occurred just an hour before the euthanasia procedure was performed.
According to Carla Rodríguez herself, her intention was to transmit to the young woman a “wave of affection and solidarity” that she had observed on social networks. However, hospital security denied him direct contact, keeping Noelia in isolation for the last few hours of the trial
