Barcelona court rejects father's appeal against daughter's euthanasia request

A Barcelona court has rejected an appeal by a man against the authorization of euthanasia for his 24-year-old daughter. 

The case came to public attention last summer after the Catalan Guarantee and Evaluation Commission unanimously approved the woman's euthanasia, with all 19 members in agreement. 

The patient's parents, through the Spanish Foundation of Christian Lawyers, filed an appeal against the commission's decision and requested an urgent halt to the process. 

Following the ruling, the woman's father announced his intention to appeal in court and pursue criminal charges against the doctors who referred the decision to the commission. 

Father not entitled to appeal euthanasia 

The court ruled that the woman's father is not entitled to appeal her euthanasia, contrary to the position of the prosecutor. 

The ruling pointed out that the Constitutional Court has allowed appeals from parents only in cases involving minors or incapacitated individuals, which does not apply in this case. 

The court noted that the woman's father has never sought to have his daughter declared incapacitated. 

It also mentioned that the authorities removed custody of the daughter from her parents, and that she now resides at the Sant Camil Hospital in Sant Pere de Ribes (Garraf) because she has no place to live or a social or family network to take her in. 

Some witnesses told the court that the father frequently visits his daughter and maintains a cordial relationship with her, although they are not very close. 

Euthanasia request 

The woman, born in 2000, has attempted suicide several times since her adolescence by overdosing on medication and engaging in self-harm. 

In October 2022, she threw herself from a fifth-floor apartment, which left her with serious injuries, causing her to lose her autonomy and requiring her to use a wheelchair. 

In April 2024, the woman formally requested euthanasia. 

The two people in charge of her report, a doctor and a lawyer, decided to issue a position of "disagreement" between them, in order to bring the decision to the Guarantee and Evaluation Commission. The commission authorized euthanasia on July 15. 

The euthanasia was scheduled for August 2, but the court suspended it the day before at the request of the father. 

In the recent hearing, seven doctors who treated the young woman, specializing in psychiatry, neurorehabilitation, and neurology, testified that she met the requirements for assisted death. 

In addition, forensic experts from the justice system said that the young woman's decision-making capacity remains intact. 

Euthanasia and assisted suicide legalized

The Spanish Congress voted to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in March 2021, following a push from activists and regional parliaments, including Catalonia.