The Supreme Court allows people with a "close relationship" to request that euthanasia be stopped

BarcelonaThe Supreme Court considers that people with a "particularly close connection" have the right to judicially intervene against the decision of a patient who wishes to receive euthanasia. This is the majority, but not unanimous, response of the magistrates of the High Court after addressing this Tuesday the debate on whether family members have the right to judicially intervene to prevent a relative from receiving euthanasia.

Its ruling responds to the fundamental debate generated by the different judicial proceedings in which a family member has tried to stop the euthanasia of an adult who already had medical approval. This was the case of Noelia Castillo, who finally received assisted death on March 26 after 20 months of litigation. It is also the case of Francesc, which is precisely the case the Supreme Court has debated: at 54 years old, after three strokes and two heart attacks that have left him with severe sequelae affecting mobility and speech, he requested assisted death. His euthanasia has medical and judicial approval since July 2024, but an appeal by his father has stalled the procedure in the courts.

This Tuesday, the full bench of the contentious chamber of the Supreme Court agreed to recognize people with a close connection the standing to judicially appeal against a patient's euthanasia. The decision was not unanimous: 23 magistrates voted in favor and 9 against. For the moment, the Court has only made public the result of the vote, and in the coming days it will publish the ruling with the arguments for its decision.