Woman dies by euthanasia after becoming paraplegic trying to commit suicide after gang rape

[AComplicatedWoman]

This is one of the most heartbreaking news stories I have come across.

Noelia Castillo had a difficult childhood and spent much of it in care homes. She was sexually assaulted by her ex-boyfriend of four years after she had taken sleeping pills to help her sleep, and was assaulted on another occasion by several men in a nightclub. She attempted suicide in October 2022, and it left her unable to use her legs and in a wheelchair. Noelia conducted a long legal battle with her father for the right to end her life and she died by euthanasia on Thursday.

RIP Noelia. I am so sorry that your life was destroyed by these abhorrent abusive men.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/noelia-castillo-euthanasia-law-spain-b2946671.html

Yeah but then I think society isn't really going to help these people get out of poverty or truly help them with their mental health if we're honest with ourselves, so why should society also say no?

What an unbearably sad story. Poor woman 💔

In terms of people discussing whether or not it's right for the state to kill someone at their request - I think it's something the state should only provide if a person is mentally sound and requesting it due to the current allowed reasons, but also physically incapable of doing it themselves.

The idea of the state offering euthanasia to disabled, mentally unwell, or traumatised people makes me uneasy, as it could all too easily become a valid alternative to spending money to actually support them.

And while I understand she did attempt previously and survive, people do kill themselves every day - if a person is motivated enough, they'll find a way. I'm not sure that the state needs to step in and do it for them.

That aside, it's a terribly sad story. Men ruined her life - she never stood a chance. It's always fucking men.

Hopefully they and the men in their lives (the nice Nigels) start having conversations with them from a young age about consent, dismantling the patriarchy and generally how not to be violent towards women… I have an 8 yo and can see the misogyny-supportive beliefs being very much present in our schools and homes already.

(FYI, if Nigel isn’t having these conversations and being an ally for women, he’s not that nice, he’s part of the problem)

Incredibly incredibly sad... even down to her father and the court stuff...

Just heartbreaking she was systematically failed.

If I had her quality of life I’d want to do the same. Why should she have to continue suffering and living a life she doesn’t want. You have no idea the daily pain she must have been in.
Helping people in pain isn’t always possible, even the very best palliative care isn’t always successful.

But the problem is that by allowing state euthanasia you make that situation of lack of support worse. Then the state can just say 'well too bad, you have a shitty life, you can die if you want, we'll help you do that' and that becomes all the help they'll ever provide. You can see it going in that direction very quickly and easily - it already has in Canada. The woman in the article linked above was denied palliative care but given death.

Society goes back to a Victoria era of poor people dying young and the 1% profiting off their work and misery.

It's a tightrope, I agree. And could be a slippery slope. In this case however, she was in such pain and suffering.

Read this last night broke my heart. My DH suggested that the men who done it should also die by euthanasia- but a public one!! It’s heart breaking for her and her family

This.

Its also a feminist issue.

It will have a fancier positioning but basic gist is
"Mum... you are 70 and your health isnt improving... wed never tell you what to do but we cant care for you... do you really want your 1.5m home eaten up by care fees? How will the GC for for uni or put down deposits? You always said you loved them?"
Lots of daily mail sad face

And poor sweet Janet who always loved and cared for her family will either have to take herself down and kil herself or endure resentful glares over the table at easter and xmas

Yes agree, I do support Noelia's choice very much so in this case but I do think it is good the legal system was involved and it was carefully considered. However I think we owe it to her to talk about why she could not live the life she could have lived and I am sure would have wanted. A life free of rape and abuse. And question what happened to her rapists.

I think people who are physically and mentally capable of ending their own lives should not have the state involved in that decision because, as you say, it's a very very slippery slope.

I always find it fascinating that people can put their animals to sleep to end their suffering, to be kind, but when it comes to humans it's heavily debated and is seen as wrong.
She absolutely should be able to make that decision herself.
No one killed anyone, she chose to end her life humanely, to end the suffering she endured every day of her life just like people do with their own fucking cats and dogs.
I'm assuming that people who are against this movement would never or have never put a pet to sleep. If you have, then your opinion doesn't matter.

This could easily happen with the CoL rising. I don't know what I think about state euthanasia, to be perfectly honest.
I can easily see my mum doing this to not be a "burden". Because she's completely selfless and adores her grandchildren.

It is a feminist issue.

Many women stuck in abusive situations may choose death if they can't see a way out. If state assisted death is on the table (cheap, quick) then why should the state fund all kind of complex systems to help women escape abuse? Or stop men enjoying themselves abusing women in the first place? Would free up a lot of prison places, after all.

To think she was in all this pain and her father made the battle for her even longer.

It is sickening that it was selfish abusive men that led her to this. I wonder if they got any consequences for their actions.. but sadly it doesn't bring the girl back. I hope she is at peace now.

Nice job making a woman's tragic death all about something that didn't happen to you as a foetus.

What do you think of the woman who was put to sleep when she had clearly communicated she didn't want to be and wanted palliative care (which she was denied)?

We're different from other animals, we can make decisions for ourselves and communicate them.

And also, part of the reason people put animals down is because the expensive end of life care available for humans isn't there for animals, and sometimes it's done for human convenience and to save money, let's be honest.

What you're saying, too, is that every single person who lacks capacity because of dementia should be 'put down' because none of them are getting better. But they do have quality of life as I've seen it with my own eyes.

I also eat animals. I don't eat humans.

It's also legal to put pets down just because you want to, or don't want to pay for medical treatment. You can't put down a person just because you want to, or don't want to pay for medical treatment.

They're very different scenarios.

Apparently social pressure to self euthanize elderly people is rife in the countries that allow it. Its not necessarily direct pressure, but an insidious belief that they are worthless. They are guilted into killing themselves rather than be a burden. Women cuurrently live longer than men and as more social creatures more likely to be swayed. State sponsored euthanasia will kill more women than men.

I’m the mother of a boy, and it’s a huge worry for me that so much violence against woman and girls is normalised, and the internet is saturated by violent porn and misogynist content. It would be negligent of me not to do everything I can to make sure my son is not accessing this stuff in his formative years, and never to talk to him about misogyny and VAWG on the grounds that I don’t want him to feel got at and he’s my sweet baby boy and would never.

Loads of dogs are currently being put down in Dublin's dog pound due to lack of funds/ homes.
Fairly sure we should not do the same with humans

I agree.

She tried to commit suicide and it didn’t work. She clearly didn’t experience any relief at all that it didn’t work (she didn’t wake up thinking “thank god, I actually want to live”), and then spent years fighting for this. This isn’t fleeting or short lived suicidal ideation. I’m deeply uncomfortable with the idea of someone in pain (mental and physical) asking for this for years and other people saying “No. You must live with it.”

That doesn’t mean I think everyone who is suicidal should instantly be handed the means to kill themselves. A friend of mine has attempted suicide on, I think, 6 occasions. Each time there is evidence of either her relief that it didn’t work, or her immediate regret (ie she called the ambulance herself). I would hope that that evidence would be considered if she were ever in a country that allowed euthanasia. But really, her suicidal thoughts are not sustained enough to continue a years long legal battle anyway.

Ending your life isn’t as simple as popping into the pharmacy on that day.

In Canada it is. Same day euthanasia. Often within hours of you or your burnt out carer requesting it against your wishes.

Funnily enough written by a man... Could it be any more insensitive.

Really? is this right? Seems a very bad idea. All the women in my family live very long, until mid 90s. But they have a good quality of life. Shouldn't be pushed into euthanasia.