A 104-year-old Australian scientist on Thursday committed assisted suicide in Switzerland where he went to die after his home country denied him the right to seek help in taking his own life. David Goodall did not have a terminal illness but said his quality of life had deteriorated significantly and that he wanted to end it.
Goodall "died peacefully" in Basel, tweeted Philip Nitschke, founder of Exit International, the organisation which helped Goodall make the journey from Australia. The death occurred at 1030 GMT from an infusion of Nembutal, a barbiturate, at the Life Cycle clinic, he said. The honorary research associate at Perth's Edith Cowan University set off from Australia a week ago, and stopped in Bordeaux, France to see family before arriving in Basel on Monday.
"I no longer want to continue life," Goodall told journalists on Wednesday. "I am happy to have the chance tomorrow to end it, and I appreciate the help of the medical profession here in making that possible," he said. The 104-year-old said he hoped the widespread interest in his case would spur Australia and other countries to rethink their legislation.
"I would have preferred to have (ended) it in Australia, and I greatly regret that Australia is behind Switzerland" when it comes to right-to-die laws, he said. Goodall secured a fast-track appointment with the foundation in Basel after he attempted but failed to commit suicide on his own earlier this year.