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Euthanasia after gang rape The frightening parallels between Noelia Castillo (†25) and Noa Pothoven (†17)
Noelia Castillo died by euthanasia in a hospital in Barcelona on March 26th.
Atresmedia
“I just want to go in peace and stop suffering.”
Just a few hours before her death, Noelia Castillo gives an interview to the Spanish television program “Y Ahora Sonsoles”. The 25-year-old explains that she no longer wants to live. On the evening of March 26th, the young woman in Barcelona sought euthanasia and had a lethal injection given. Her case is reminiscent of Noa Pothoven from the Netherlands, who was only 17 years old.
Noelia no longer wants to live after being raped and attempting suicide
In the interview, Noelia says that she was sexually abused several times. In 2022 she is said to have been the victim of a gang rape. “There were three men, but I never reported it,” she remembers in the TV interview.
Reading tip: Euthanasia for Noelia (25) – would that also be possible in Germany?
Just days after the incident, Noelia attempts to take her own life. But the suicide attempt fails. The Spanish woman was taken to hospital seriously injured and survived. Since then she has been paralyzed and uses a wheelchair. She suffered from the physical and mental consequences until the end. In a legal battle against her father that lasted almost two years, Noelia asserted that she should be allowed to die.
Noa Pothoven dies in the Netherlands in 2019
Noa Pothoven also had a long ordeal behind her when she died in June 2019. The young person said at the time that she was abused at a school party when she was eleven. More actions follow. At the age of 14, she was attacked and raped by two men in her hometown of Arnhem. “I experience this fear, this pain every day. I'm always scared, always on guard. To this day my body feels dirty,” she told the Gelderlander newspaper at the time.
The psychological consequences of the crime will never leave the young person behind. Noa develops post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, an eating disorder and she makes several suicide attempts. Noa has to wait months for a therapy place and at some point she is forcibly admitted.
Noa Pothoven also wanted euthanasia after being raped. In the end she died because she stopped eating and drinking.
Instagram/ winnofleren
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Noa Pothoven also found out about euthanasia after being raped
She never reports her rapists because she is unable to explain to the police in detail what was done to her. Noa doesn't want to talk about the crimes until the end. Because she wants to end her “hopeless, unbearable psychological suffering,” Noa seeks advice from a euthanasia clinic in The Hague, but she is turned away because of her age.
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In the end the girl stops eating and drinking. With her family's consent, Noa will only receive palliative treatment in her final days and will not be force-fed. “I want peace, I don’t feel pain anymore,” she told the Gelderlander newspaper before her death. Her parents finally fulfill her wish with a heavy heart.
Here you can find help in difficult situations
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts yourself, please seek help immediately. Try talking to other people about it! These can be friends or relatives. But there is also the option to talk anonymously to other people about your thoughts. This can be done by phone, chat, email or in person.
If you need help quickly, you can call the free telephone hotline 0800-1110111 or 0800-1110222 to find people who can show you ways out of difficult situations.
Sources used: Y Ahora Sonsoles/Instagram, Gelderlander
