Spain’s Constitutional Court has unanimously rejected a final, desperate appeal from the father of a 25-year-old paraplegic woman from Barcelona. This decision clears the last domestic legal obstacle to her wish to die by euthanasia. The decision, handed down on Friday, closes a painful and protracted legal battle that has pitted a daughter’s autonomy against a father’s opposition.

The court’s Second Chamber, meeting in an extraordinary session, ruled to dismiss the father’s appeal for protection, known as a recurso de amparo. Judicial sources cited by La Vanguardia reported the case was dismissed due to a “manifest inexistence of a violation of a fundamental right.” This definitive ruling means the procedure for assisted dying can now proceed.

Following the court’s decision, the Generalitat de Catalunya confirmed it would reactivate the mechanism to grant the woman, identified only as Noelia, her right to a dignified death under Spain’s 2021 euthanasia law.

Noelia’s case has traversed every level of the Spanish judiciary over more than a year. The conflict began after Catalonia’s Commission for Guarantee and Evaluation approved her request for euthanasia in July 2024.

Her father immediately launched a legal challenge, arguing his daughter was not mentally competent to make such an irreversible decision. However, court after court has affirmed Noelia’s right to choose.

An initial court rejected the father’s appeal, stating he lacked legal standing because his daughter is an adult and not legally incapacitated. Consequently, the case was then elevated. In September 2025, the High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC), while recognising the father’s right to appeal, upheld the decision, underscoring that medical reports confirmed Noelia met all legal requirements.

The father’s legal team then took the case to the Supreme Court in Madrid, which also refused to hear the appeal. As Barna.News previously reported, the high court dismissed the case for a “lack of cassational interest,” ruling that the father was essentially asking for a re-examination of evidence already thoroughly reviewed by lower courts.

Conflicting Arguments

Represented by the ultraconservative Catholic group Abogados Cristianos (Christian Lawyers), the father’s appeal to the Constitutional Court alleged violations of the right to life, human dignity, and effective judicial protection. The legal group argued that Noelia suffered from mental health conditions, including borderline personality disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, which invalidated her consent.

However, judicial and medical-forensic reports consistently concluded otherwise at every stage. These evaluations affirmed that Noelia possesses the full capacity to make her own decisions and has reiterated her desire to die since first making the request. The courts found that she suffers from a “serious, chronic, and incapacitating” condition with no cure, which causes her severe suffering-the primary conditions stipulated in Spain’s euthanasia law.

Next Steps and Wider Implications

With all domestic legal avenues now exhausted, the process can move forward. The father’s legal team, however, has vowed to continue the fight.

ABC Cataluña reported that Abogados Cristianos announced its intention to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

“We believe that fundamental rights are being violated in this procedure, especially the right to life and to effective judicial protection, so we will go to European authorities to request protection,” the organisation stated.

The case highlights the complex ethical and legal questions surrounding euthanasia in Spain since its legalisation. While the law grants individuals with incurable and debilitating conditions the right to a dignified death, it has also faced persistent challenges from conservative and religious groups who argue it infringes on the fundamental right to life.

According to the official source, see Europa Press Barcelona.