US criticizes Spain over woman's euthanasia

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WASHINGTON - The United States on Wednesday urged Spain to investigate the euthanasia of a young woman, the latest criticism by President Donald Trump's administration against the left-led European country.

Noelia Castillo, 25, who, after being sexually assaulted, had attempted suicide by throwing herself off a building and was left paralysed, died by choice at a hospital Thursday after she won a legal battle with her father, who wanted her to live.

"It is imperative that authorities investigate this tragic case," said Riley Barnes, the US assistant secretary of state for human rights.

"Every life is sacred. Noelia was failed in life. We cannot afford to fail her once again," Barnes wrote on X.

Spain legalised euthanasia in 2021 despite fierce opposition from the Catholic Church, which historically has played a prominent social role in the country.

The US state of Oregon in 1994 voted to become one of the first places in the world to allow assisted suicide for terminally ill people, with a number of other states following suit.

But nowhere in the United States permits so-called active euthanasia, where a doctor or specialist puts a person to death.

Noelia's case drew wide attention and was the first of its kind to reach a Spanish court for consideration.

Under Trump, the United States has broken with precedent by openly criticising European allies over their domestic policies, especially on restrictions against hate speech and on welcoming immigrants.

In a national security strategy released late last year, the Trump administration said it would aim at "cultivating resistance" within Europe against its trajectory.

Trump has had particularly tense relations with Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, an outspoken progressive.

Sanchez is the rare European leader to criticize Trump openly for his war with Israel against Iran and has refused to let US jets attack from NATO bases in Spain.