A shocking dispute between a mother and her terminally ill daughter. The whole of Spain lives with this drama
54-year-old Belén wants to undergo euthanasia – she has been suffering from a serious disease for over 30 years. Her mother doesn’t want to let her daughter go. However, the court dismissed the 79-year-old’s complaint.
A loud dispute between mother and daughter has stirred the Spanish. Sick 54-year-old Belén wants to end her life – for this purpose she asked for euthanasia. In 2021, the Spanish parliament passed a law allowing euthanasia for “terminally and seriously ill” people, as well as those who are in “constant and unbearable suffering.”
Belén wants to exercise her right, but her own mother – 79-year-old Carmen Alfonso – stands in her way. The woman does not want to let her daughter go, so when employees of the Galician Health Service (Sergas) knocked on the door of her house in Ensanche in Compostela, she did not open the door – reports the Spanish newspaper “ABC”.
Belén – suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS), which has developed to an advanced stage – and she does not have enough strength to stand up to her mother because she uses a wheelchair. On October 31, she did not go to the Clínico Universitario medical facility in Santiago de Compostela.
Belen wants to undergo euthanasia
“ABC” describes that Belén has the necessary medical documentation, and her request to perform the procedure was approved by doctors. Every day, a woman has to endure pain that cannot be expressed in words, the return of which she is most afraid of. She has been suffering from MS since she was 20 – she was first diagnosed right after doctors found that she had lost vision in one eye. At some point, she also started having problems moving. In the past, she worked as a liked and respected secondary school teacher, among others. in Madrid or Lugo.
The problems only increased year by year, and the 54-year-old was unable to control the disease, so in 2015 she decided to take early retirement. She also worked with her body all the time – she went to rehabilitation, thanks to which she was able to walk. So she hoped to return to normal life. However, she eventually began using a wheelchair during the 2020 pandemic when she contracted COVID-19. “The coronavirus confined her to a wheelchair for life,” reports “ABC.”
The mother turned to a Christian association for help
However, the 54-year-old’s mother believes that she cannot legally undergo euthanasia. He points out that the medical documentation does not describe the situation when she is “bedridden”, “has problems drinking and eating”, or “feels pain”, reports “ABC”. She asked the Association of Christian Lawyers for help, which soon sent a complaint to the Court of Santiago de Compostela.
Interestingly, the 79-year-old supports the euthanasia law, but believes that her daughter should still be alive. The mother accuses the doctors of allegedly “persuading her to commit suicide” and, moreover, of not telling her about one of the options – palliative care, i.e. help provided by doctors of various specializations, nurses and support for the patient by experts in the field of psychology. The Spanish newspaper also recalls a situation when, in the company of journalists, Carmen asked her daughter “what will happen if a cure for multiple sclerosis is discovered tomorrow.”
Belén’s sister Ana, who lives in Andalusia, also agrees with her mother. She claims that the 54-year-old is shouting at her even though no one else is doing so, which she believes means that she is in better shape than she claims. The mother also notes that Belén has not felt pain for a long time, but her daughter says that the pain can come completely unexpectedly, which causes her great anxiety. Moreover, she has not been able to lead the life she had before for a long time, and she almost compares her existence to vegetation.
The 79-year-old is very afraid of loneliness, and a close relationship with her daughter is important in her life. However, thanks to the decision of the Xunta Health Department, Belén will be able to undergo euthanasia – reports “ABC”. Soon, health care workers will knock on the door again, but this time, if the MS patient’s mother won’t let them in, they’ll come with a court order. The date for the procedure has not been set yet.
