Spanish court extends father-daughter euthanasia battle

Spain is one of few countries to legalise euthanasia thanks to a 2021 law that comes with strict requirements.

It stipulates that anyone of sound mind who is suffering from a "serious and incurable illness" or a "chronic and disabling" condition can request assistance to die.

READ ALSO: How euthanasia works in Spain

The woman, in her 20s, was due to undergo the procedure in August 2024 after the euthanasia board in the northeastern Catalonia region supported her request.

But the process was suspended at the last minute after her father filed a legal objection with the backing of the conservative campaign group Abogados Cristianos ("Christian Lawyers").

The father said his daughter suffered from mental disorders that "could affect her ability to make a free and conscious decision" as required by law.

He also said that there were indications she had changed her mind and that her ailment did not entail "unbearable physical or psychological suffering".

In a ruling made public Friday, a Barcelona court endorsed an earlier decision in March that the woman met the conditions for euthanasia, citing "medical reports that back in unison" that conclusion.

But the court also recognised "the entitlement of the parents of a person who asks to end their life to legally challenge the decision".

Abogados Cristianos said it would take the case to the Supreme Court, posting on X that she "is a girl with a mental illness who has her whole life ahead of her. Euthanasia is not a solution for anyone."

The woman, who became paraplegic after throwing herself from the fifth floor of a building in a 2022 suicide attempt, asked a court in April last year to allow her to exercise her right to die.

Her case was the first in Spain to reach a court for a judge to decide since the 2021 euthanasia law was passed.

It comes as neighbouring France is debating a bill on assisted dying that could grant patients medical assistance to end their lives in clearly defined circumstances.