Noelia Castillo’s TV appearance before receiving euthanasia has sparked a wave of social media posts, including misunderstandings and false claims about her medical history, her capacity to decide and the circumstances behind her request.
Noelia Castillo’s appearance on television just a few hours before receiving euthanasia has sparked a strong reaction on social media, where messages of support and opposition have circulated, along with claims that have been challenged by the case’s medical and administrative documentation.
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The young woman, left paraplegic after a suicide attempt in 2022, gave an interview to the programme ‘Y ahora Sonsoles’ on Antena 3, in which she recounted her personal story and the reasons that led her to request the legal assisted dying procedure. Following that appearance, various accounts and users shared interpretations of her clinical and personal situation.
Posts about an alleged assault in a centre
One of the most widely shared posts on social media claims that, while Noelia was under the guardianship of the Generalitat’s social services, she was the victim of a multiple sexual assault carried out by unaccompanied foreign minors. This version has been echoed by various accounts and public figures.
However, according to the case’s medical and administrative file, there is no record of any episode of this kind in the residential centres where the young woman stayed between July 2015 and February 2019. Sources at the Directorate-General for the Prevention and Protection of Children and Adolescents of the Generalitat confirmed that there is no record of any sexual assault incident during that period.
In the television interview, Noelia described three separate episodes of assaults or attempted abuse. The first involved a romantic partner with whom she was in a relationship for four years; the second took place in a nightclub, where she said two men tried to abuse her; and the third, also in an entertainment venue, when she said she was assaulted by three people. According to her account, this last episode took place just a few days before the suicide attempt that left her paraplegic, on 4 October 2022, when she was 21.
Euthanasia and the debate over depression
Another claim circulating on social media is that this is the first euthanasia granted in Spain to a person “because of depression”. However, the clinical documentation states that the request was approved on the basis of the physical consequences of her paraplegia and the associated suffering.
Psychiatric reports indicate that the young woman has chronic depressive symptoms and an adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression, but rule out a major depressive disorder that would impair her decision-making capacity. She has also been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and borderline personality disorder.
Catalonia’s Guarantee and Evaluation Commission authorised the procedure on 18 July 2024, having concluded that Noelia had an irreversible clinical condition with severe dependency, pain and chronic suffering that affected her autonomy. Subsequent court rulings upheld the legality of the procedure and the young woman’s capacity to make the decision.
The application had been put on hold for one year and eight months after a lawsuit filed by her father, who questioned her capacity to decide. Specialists who assessed the case concluded that the young woman understood the implications of the decision and was able to act autonomously.
The extent of the physical consequences
After the interview was broadcast, posts also spread that questioned the severity of her physical condition, as it could be seen that the young woman was able to carry out some activities with assistance.
According to the medical file, the complete spinal cord injury at L3 level caused paraplegia, neuropathic pain, sensory impairment, faecal incontinence and the need for urinary catheterisation every six hours, as well as significant functional dependency. She also has limited mobility with a wheelchair and only a very limited ability to walk indoors in adapted environments.
Medical reports describe these sequelae as permanent and irreversible. After the accident, Noelia was first admitted to the Joan XXIII Hospital in Tarragona and later to the Guttmann Clinic, where she underwent intensive neurorehabilitation until June 2023. Ten months later she applied for the assisted dying procedure.
In her statement to the court, the young woman explained that the physical pain and the impact on her daily life were constant. According to the documentation, her suffering was deemed persistent and incompatible with any significant functional recovery, which led to the approval of euthanasia in accordance with current legislation.