Episode details

World Service,14 Jul 2026,29 mins
Euthanasia in Spain: Whose life is it anyway?
The Documentary PodcastAvailable for over a year
In March this year, 25-year-old Noelia Castillo died by lethal injection. Her father had fought in the courts for nearly 2 years to stop her euthanasia, but failed in the attempt. And the debate about who has the right to challenge an adult鈥檚 decision to have euthanasia hasn鈥檛 gone away. In May, the Supreme Court ruled that those with, 鈥榓 particularly close connection鈥 to the person wanting to die may have the right to contest an application for euthanasia. Of the 565 people who died by euthanasia in 2025 in Spain, 73 chose to donate their organs. Noelia Castillo wasn鈥檛 an organ donor, but there are claims she was pressured to become one. And now the lawyers who have represented her parents are advocating a ban on organ donation in euthanasia cases. Why does this matter? Spain鈥檚 health service supports one of the world鈥檚 most successful organ donation programmes. Last year more than 2,500 Spanish people became organ donors after death. And although the number of those who had euthanasia was tiny, the beneficiaries are very real鈥 People like Carme, who was transplanted with a new face. Esperanza Escribano and Linda Pressly explore some of the fall-out from the death of Noelia Castillo.
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