First appeared in DMD CAT on 29 January – original in Catalan accessible HERE
From Dret a Morir Dignament Catalunya we celebrate that the Supreme Court has endorsed, once again , Noelia’s right to euthanasia , rejecting the appeal filed by her father with the support of Abogados Cristianos. The Supreme Court has ruled that the appeal filed by Noelia’s father has no cassational interest, that there is no case. This decision confirms what other judicial and administrative instances had already said: Noelia meets all the legal requirements and it is she, and only she, who has the right to decide about the end of her life .
However, we deeply regret that Noelia ‘s decision has remained judicially blocked for more than a year and a half , with her will postponed by an appeal that only seeks to delay and obstruct a right already legally recognized .
This situation shows that the only goal in legalizing Noelia’s euthanasia is to try to stop in the courts what they could not stop in Congress or the Senate: the normal implementation of the Euthanasia Law.
Allowing third parties to paralyze a right already legally recognized condemns people who meet all the requirements to receive euthanasia to absolutely unnecessary physical and emotional suffering.
From DMD-Cat we give our full support to the Guarantee and Evaluation Commission of Catalonia (CGAC) , which has acted with rigor, professionalism and respect for the law . We reiterate our recognition of its work and the key role it plays in guaranteeing the correct and guaranteeing application of the law.
To prevent cases like Noelia’s or Francesc’s from recurring, DMD is promoting a specific and urgent legal reform so that no recourse can paralyze an already authorized euthanasia for months or years , subjecting people to unacceptable suffering.
The legislative initiative aims to modify procedural legislation so that jurisdictional appeals that may be raised against the resolutions of the CGAs in the future must be resolved in a short period of time by introducing a new exception within the Law on Contentious Administrative Jurisdiction, so that the appeals submitted must be resolved by preferential processing, within a maximum of 20 days and in a single instance, without the possibility of further appeal. The jurisdictional decision would be limited to determining whether the contested resolution of the Guarantee and Evaluation Commission is maintained or revoked. In addition, the possibility is envisaged that the Court itself may also adopt precautionary measures but only for the period of time required to resolve the dispute.
From DMD-Cat we have presented the proposal to the political groups of the Parliament of Catalonia to be processed at the Parliament’s table and once approved to send it as a legislative initiative to Congress.
We know that this measure does not yet solve the underlying problem, but it is essential to put limits on the dilatory maneuvers of ultra-conservative groups and protect the most vulnerable people.
The right to die with dignity cannot be hijacked by ideological interests.
Enough of the delays that cause suffering.
Defending Noelia is defending the freedom and dignity of everyone.
We demand an immediate end to this cruel situation .