Unable to do so at his home in Australia, 104-year-old scientist David Goodall traveled to Switzerland to legally end his life himself. How will his assisted suicide unfold?
David Goodall had probably not imagined his end in this way: aged 104, this former scientist made the trip to Switzerland to end his life legally. Not suffering from any terminal illness, he nevertheless feels that his quality of life has deteriorated and that it is time for him to leave. “This is all the atrocity. This old man (…) should be able to die at home, in his bed, as we can do here in Switzerland”, indignant Ruedi Habegger, co-founder of Eternal Spirit, the clinic where David Goodall will take his last breath on Thursday.
“I don’t want to go to Switzerland”
In Switzerland, anyone in good mental health who has expressed a wish to die for a certain period of time is entitled to request an assisted voluntary death (AVD). “If a healthy person comes in and says, ‘I’m sane and decided to die, it’s not your business, in theory,’ says Ruedi Habegger. Every year, his facility helps around 80 people put end of life, 75% of whom are foreigners, in the majority of cases the elderly or in poor physical health, or even suffering.
Conversely in Australia – and as in many countries – assisted suicide is illegal. Only assisted death will be legal from June 2019 in the State of Victoria, for people whose life expectancy is estimated at less than 6 months. “I don’t want to go to Switzerland,” the old man told Australian ABC television before taking the plane, but “I had to take the opportunity of suicide which the Australian system does not allow.” “I am very bitter”.
The stages of assisted suicide in Switzerland
A person wishing to end his life between the walls of this clinic must present his request for MVA to the members of the office of the Eternal SPIRIT Foundation. These then decide whether the reason for the request corresponds to the rules of the foundation and possibly forward the file to a Swiss doctor for an additional assessment.
“For members residing abroad, two in-depth interviews are required with two Swiss doctors who will serve to verify that the request for MVA is in accordance with Swiss regulations, states the site from the clinic. People coming from abroad must therefore prepare to stay 3 or 4 days in Switzerland before the MVA “. In the case of David Goodall, the case has already been accepted. As soon as the Swiss doctor gives his consent, an appointment can be made within the following 2 or 3 days to proceed with the assisted suicide.
Sleep, then death
The patient signifies his death wish again on the day of the AVM. After confirmation, he himself absorbs a product that prevents him from vomiting, then the lethal product (which can also be taken by infusion). A camera films all these steps: “it is the only reliable proof that the member has taken the product himself”, says the clinic. Sleep then occurs within a few minutes and death follows approximately thirty minutes later. “Afterwards, we stop the camera, because the rest is intimate, private, ”explains Ruedi Habegger. Family and loved ones can be present throughout the process. If the patient is Swiss, his assisted suicide takes place at home, in his bed. “It is not painful. It’s short and peaceful “.
Only minors, people incapable of discernment or suffering from mental illnesses without serious physical suffering can access this right.
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