Almost 300 assisted deaths were carried out in Spain last year, half the number requested
Most of the applicants had serious neurological or oncological illnesses and one third of them died before their euthanasia request was carried out
Europa Press
Madrid
Sunday, 24 December 2023, 08:00
Half of the euthanasia requests made in Spain last year were performed, new data shows.
Of the 576 applications, some 288 assisted deaths were carried out. That is around 50 per cent compared to 75% the year before, according to national Ministry of Health figures. One third of the applicants died before their euthanasia request was carried out.
Since euthanasia was legalised in Spain and until 31 December 2022, 749 applications for assisted dying have been processed and it has been carried out for 363 people. In 2021, its first year in Spain, 173 applications were registered, although the data for 2021 corresponds to a six-month period, while in 2022 it corresponds to a 12-month period.
The majority of applicants are between 60 and 80 years of age, with serious neurological or oncological illnesses. According to the Ministry of Health, the number of people who change their minds or request a postponement is minimal. Some 14% of applicants took advantage of the organ donation programme, resulting in 135 transplants.
Refusals
The number of rejected applications was less than 20%, and following appeals, a third of those initially rejected were upheld favourably.
By regions, of the 576 euthanasias allowed, 175 were in Catalonia, followed by Madrid, with 62; Andalucía (46), Valencia (46), the Basque Country (40), Aragon (26), Castile and Leon (25), the Balearic Islands (22), the Canary Islands (21), Castile-La Mancha (20), Navarre (19), Asturias (19), Galicia (17), Cantabria (17), Extremadura (11), La Rioja (5) and Murcia (5).
