Tea at Trianon: Spanish Euthanasia Case Triggers Worldwide Debate

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Spanish Euthanasia Case Triggers Worldwide Debate

From The European Conservative:

The euthanasia of 25-year-old Noelia on Thursday, March 27th in Spain has made headlines around the world. Not because of its legal exceptionalism—it was upheld by all judicial instances—but because of what it represents: the shift of euthanasia from extreme cases of terminal illness into far more shaky territory, such as psychological suffering.

In just a few days, her story has spread across national and international media. Noelia’s life was marked by institutional neglect, episodes of violence and sexual abuse, severe depression, and a fractured family environment. And there is a lingering sense, shared by many, that things should have gone differently.

Noelia’s death was the result of a series of events that led to grave emotional and physical suffering. Her parents lost custody of her and she spent time in state care. According to her own account, it was in that context that she suffered abuse and episodes of violence that were never investigated judicially.
Years later, those traumatic experiences led to a suicide attempt in 2021, leaving her with partial paraplegia. From that point on, her situation worsened. She was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, underwent multiple psychiatric admissions, and lived with a persistent sense of isolation.

Medical reports—central to the process—concluded that her suffering was “serious, chronic and incapacitating,” and that there was no prospect of improvement. On that basis, the Catalonia Guarantees Commission authorized euthanasia in 2024. Formally, the procedure met all legal requirements. But the case was never as closed as it appeared. (Read more.)