Christian lawyers force legal action against members of the commission evaluating euthanasia
The ultra-Catholic group accuses the experts of falsifying a public document and malfeasance in the trial of Noelia, 24.
BarcelonaThe court has ruled that Noelia has the right to euthanasia, but the 24-year-old has been waiting for this procedure for over a year. Her father wanted to halt the proceedings authorized by the Guarantee and Evaluation Commission of Catalonia in the courts —the body responsible for evaluating all euthanasia requests—, and has done so represented by Christian Lawyers, who a few weeks ago decided to take a further step: attempting to force a criminal case against seven of the experts on the commission that endorsed Noelia's right to die. Now, the Barcelona Court of Instruction No. 20 has accepted the lawsuit filed by the ultraconservative Catholic group against two of these members.
According to the lawsuit, both members admitted in court "to having feigned disagreement in their report of July 2, 2024, in order to elevate the case to the commission." Christian Lawyers asserts that this "fake" constitutes "falsifying an essential public document of the euthanasia procedure and completely distorting the legal process established by law." The judge considers that the events reported by Christian Lawyers "may constitute" the crimes of falsification of a public document and abuse of power by a doctor and a lawyer, and orders "the clarification" of these events.
The ultraconservative Catholic group maintains that if the report on which the decision to authorize euthanasia was based is "flawed from the outset," the entire procedure must be considered null and void, and therefore, the young woman's euthanasia cannot be carried out with minimal legal guarantees. The president of Christian Lawyers, Polonia Castellanos, states that "a person's life cannot be ended based on a null procedure built on a lie." Thus, she demands that any execution of euthanasia be suspended while "the possible commission of crimes of falsification of documents and abuse of power" is investigated.
One year and eight months of waiting
Noelia, 24, suffers from paraplegia and was scheduled to receive euthanasia in August 2024. Although she is an adult and had completed the necessary procedures, the dignified death procedure was suspended by her father's legal intervention three days before it was to be administered. The Administrative Court No. 12 of Barcelona had already rejected the father's appeal in March against the decision of the Catalan Guarantee and Evaluation Commission, and in September the High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) upheld the decision, although it also recognized a family member's right to exhaust all legal remedies to prevent a relative's dignified death. In response to this decision, in September, the ultraconservative Catholic organization announced it would accuse half of the commission members of malfeasance and conflict of interest, since three are linked to the Right to Die with Dignity organization, one participated in drafting the euthanasia law, and a fifth... The other two belong to the National Transplant Organization (ONT) and say that "there is a direct causal relationship" with "organ procurement."