The change of mind of Belén, a 54-year-old woman from Santiago and suffering from multiple sclerosis, has paralyzed the euthanasia process that she herself had requested and which the Xunta authorized with the approval of justice.
Belén was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 20 and, from that moment, according to her euthanasia request dated last May, she began to experience mobility difficulties, until her working life was affected and she became disabled.
The pain resulting from the disease worsened to such an extent, according to the report, that it became “unbearable”, so the woman voluntarily requested euthanasia to end her life, avoiding suffering.
The Clinical Hospital of Santiago de Compostela then endorsed the patient’s request and scheduled euthanasia for this month of November, but was refused by her mother who turned to the Christian Lawyers association to try to paralyze the process.
Both the patient’s mother and Christian Lawyers understand that the circumstances do not exist to carry out this euthanasia because they consider that the premises on which the report that authorized the programmed death of this woman is based are full of “falsehoods” and ” exaggerations.”
With this argument, the Catholic association then requested precautionary measures from the court, within the framework of a complaint against the hospital, for which the Xunta referred the case to the Prosecutor’s Office.
However, the Public Prosecutor’s Office agreed with the Galician Health Service (Sergas) when it understood that the reports were correct and supported the euthanasia procedure of this woman since its assumption fits with the provisions of the law approved in 2021.
Therefore, the medical services set a date to pick up Belén, although the mother did not open the door, so the case was referred back to justice.
But this week there has been a new change in this case since it was the patient who, through a notarial document, requested the Department of Health to postpone said procedure indefinitely.
The law allows euthanasia applicants to interrupt the process at any time, even after the ethics committee has given the green light.
Since the Xunta, both the president, Alfonso Rueda, and the health councilor, Julio García Comesaña, have shown their total respect for the decision of the compostelana woman.
