Catalonia Leads Spain in Euthanasia Requests as PP Pledges Reform

Catalonia handles more euthanasia requests than any other region of Spain, and the law that allows them is now an issue in the Nov. 29 election. PP leader Feijóo has said in recent days that he would reform the 2021 law, and Vox has called for repealing it, the Catalan daily Ara reported on Nov. 15.

In 2024, 303 people in Catalonia had a request on file and 142 received euthanasia, the highest figures of any autonomous community, according to Ministerio de Sanidad (Spain’s Health Ministry) data cited by Ara.

How the euthanasia law works

The law, in force since June 25, 2021, lets adults in Spain with a serious, chronic and incurable illness ask to die in a health center or at home. Most applicants have cancer or a neurodegenerative disease with no treatment. A disability, a mental health condition, old age or needing help with daily tasks does not by itself give anyone the right, and no situation grants euthanasia automatically.

Regional governments run the service, but the steps are the same everywhere. The patient must submit two voluntary requests at least 15 days apart. The doctor then explains the diagnosis and palliative care options, and the patient is assessed by their own doctor and by an independent one. Final approval comes from each region’s guarantee and evaluation commission, whose members include doctors, lawyers, nurses, psychologists, social workers and patient associations. The patient can withdraw at any point, and health workers who disagree can join a register of objectors and stay out of the procedure.

What’s at stake for patients in Catalonia

Across Spain in 2024, 929 residents had an open request and 426 received euthanasia. Of the others, 141 were refused, 54 people withdrew and 308 died before receiving it. The Basque Country (50 of 75 requests), Navarra (14 of 31) and La Rioja (6 of 9) granted a larger share of requests than Catalonia did. Measured against population, Catalonia’s euthanasia rate is double the national average.

The association Dret a Morir Dignament (Right to Die with Dignity) has repeatedly said that where a person lives strongly shapes their chances of getting the service. Rates in Murcia, the Valencia region, Extremadura and Andalusia are far below the national average.

Partial 2025 data, up to June and supplied by only some regions, show approval took an average of 58 days in Catalonia, and 144 applicants there died while waiting for a decision. Nationwide the wait rose to 70 days, and 374 people died without receiving euthanasia. Patient groups also complain that minors are excluded, that not every mental health condition is covered and that paperwork drags out applicants’ suffering.

Legal and religious challenges since 2021

Before final approval in 2020, the Conferencia Episcopal Española (Spanish Bishops’ Conference) ran a campaign urging people to sign living wills refusing euthanasia and asking for palliative care. The PP then filed constitutional challenges, which were rejected in 2023.

Disputes between applicants and their relatives followed, and some reached the courts. One Catalan case drew wide media coverage, was used by the far right and went to the Tribunal Supremo (Spain’s Supreme Court). The court ruled that only someone with “a close connection” to the applicant can challenge a euthanasia.

Where the parties stand before Nov. 29

• The Socialists needed two attempts to pass decriminalization in Congress in 2020, and Sánchez’s governments have defended the right since.
• The Unides Podem – ECP – En Marea parliamentary group filed the first bill to decriminalize euthanasia in 2017.
• The Republicans took an active part in drafting the law and proposed extending it to minors, an amendment left out of the final text.
• The PP’s election program does not mention euthanasia, but Feijóo has said he would reform the law. The party earlier proposed a palliative care law so that no one would feel pushed to hasten their death.
• Vox backed repealing the law in 2023 and, since the Catalan court case, has promoted what it calls “laws of life”: suicide prevention, mental health, palliative care and support.

Source: Ara