Spanish Court Refuses to Prevent Young Woman's Euthanasia Death.

Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Agence France-Presse reported on March 17 that a Spanish court rejected an appeal by a father who tried to stop his 24-year-old paraplegic daughter's euthanasia death.

Decisions, like this one, emphasize how the euthanasia laws undermine the lives of people with disabilities.

According to the article, the 24-year-old woman, who was injured in a suicide attempt, was scheduled to die by euthanasia in August 2024 when her father achieved a court injunction to prevent the death. The article stated that:

The father argued that 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 there were indications his daughter had changed her mind and that her ailment did not entail "unbearable physical or psychological suffering".

The article reported that the court decision that was decided on Friday but released on Monday (March 17) stated:

the woman met the conditions for euthanasia, which was legalized in the European country in 2021.

"All the professionals who have intervened in the process agree that... she suffers a serious, chronic and disabling illness, without any contradictory tests having been performed," the judge wrote.

The Spanish euthanasia law is similar to the Canadian euthanasia law since it only requires that a person has "a serious chronic and disabling illness."

Spain's euthanasia law should be challenged based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.