Australian, 104, arrives in Basel for planned suicide
A 104-year-old Australian scientist has arrived in Switzerland before his planned assisted suicide this week, unbowed about his intentions and hopeful his premeditated death will send a message to legislators back home.
After petting a feisty dog in a warm welcoming crew at Basel’s airport on Monday, David Goodall composed himself for a handful of reporters after arriving from a visit with relatives in Bordeaux, France.
“The message I would like to send is: once one passes the age of 50 or 60, one should be free to decide for oneself whether one wants to go on living or not,” he said.
Lucid and humorous, Goodall reiterated his frustration about not being as free or as mobile in his later life as he once was. While not suffering from a terminal illness, he said he hoped his trip to take his own life in Switzerland – which allows assisted suicide, unlike Australia – would change legislators’ minds one day.
“I think we’ve got quite a way to go. I would like to see the system change, but I doubt it will happen within the next ten years,” he said.
Lethal cocktail
Goodall is expected to meet a doctor on Tuesday who will assess his mindset. He will hold another news conference on Wednesday. On Thursday, he plans to swallow a lethal cocktail of chemicals, ending his life.
After the weekend visit in France, he acknowledged he was “a bit sorry to say goodbye to my family in Bordeaux. But that’s the way it was”.
Switzerland is one of the world’s most permissive countries when it comes to assisted suicide. Representatives of the Swiss “assisted voluntary death” group Life Circle, which is helping Goodall, say only Switzerland and Colombia allow foreigners to travel into the country for an assisted suicide.
More
More
‘Right to die’ should go beyond terminally ill, says medical group
This content was published on
The Swiss Academy of Medical Science has come out in favour of extending physician-assisted suicide to people living with intolerable pain.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Cultural differences affect end of life decisions
This content was published on
Cultural factors play a large role when it comes to how Switzerland’s linguistic regions make end of life decisions, a study has found.
Growing number of people sign up for assisted suicide
This content was published on
Every year, thousands of people become members of Exit, the largest assisted suicide organisation in Switzerland. Last year was no exception.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.