The Minister of Health, Mónica García, has announced that her department is analyzing possible actions to curb delays in the application of euthanasia derived from judicial procedures, which can "unnecessarily" prolong the suffering of people who already have a favorable resolution adjusted to the regulations.
"In recent months we have witnessed debates that also force us to reflect on how to protect this right against delays, obstacles and judicialization processes that can unnecessarily prolong the suffering of those who have already received a favorable resolution in accordance with all the guarantees provided by law," said the Minister of Health during the closing of the conference "Five years of the Organic Law on the Regulation of Euthanasia."
In this framework, García stressed the importance of continuing to perfect the law, correcting differences between territories, promoting the training of health professionals, expanding accessible information for the population and ensuring that this right can be exercised under equal conditions throughout the national territory.
"We continue to work together with the autonomous communities, professionals and guarantee and evaluation commissions to update tools, share good practices and reinforce those aspects that practical experience has shown us can be improved. We also have the responsibility to defend it," she stated.
According to the latest provisional data, 565 people received the benefit of aid in dying throughout 2025. Since the law came into force, 1,668 people have made use of this right. "Today we celebrate five years of the law that has allowed thousands of people to face the end of their lives in accordance with their values, their wishes and their will. Five years of a collective conquest of dignity, freedom and humanity. And this is one more wonderful reason to all feel proud," García stated.
The minister also highlighted that the norm is applied with "guarantees" and "legal certainty," while respecting the autonomy of people and patients. She attributed this functioning to the "extraordinary commitment" of health professionals, who "have known how to accompany one of the most difficult decisions a person can make."
"But the euthanasia law does not only speak of euthanasia. It speaks of how we understand freedom and dignity. These days, when the Pope has passed through here, there has been much talk about the dignity of people. Dignity is this, recognizing the autonomy of each human being and respecting the decisions that a person makes freely about their own life when they go through situations of irreversible suffering," he maintained.
García has emphasized that the law "does not oblige anyone" to adopt a specific decision nor "impose a moral vision," but rather recognizes the right of each person to decide about their own life when they go through irreversible suffering. At the same time, he has recalled that the State must respect that choice and guarantee that it can be exercised with all the foreseen safeguards.