Former university professor David Goodall who has travelled to Switzerland to voluntarily end his life. PHOTO | COURTESY
BASEL
A
104-year-old Australian scientist burst into song Wednesday as he told a
roomful of journalists that he was looking forward to finally being
allowed to end his life.
David
Goodall does not have a terminal illness but says his quality of life
has deteriorated significantly in recent years and that he wants to die.
"I
no longer want to continue life," Goodall told the dozens of
journalists and television crews who had crammed into a small room at a
hotel in the northern Swiss city of Basel to hear him speak.
"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.
When asked whether he had chosen any music to listen to in his finally moments, he said he hadn't thought about it.
ODE TO JOY
"But
if I had to choose something, I think it would be the final movement of
Beethoven's ninth symphony," he said, before belting out a verse from
the Ode to Joy, in German, to loud applause.
Goodall
was barred from seeking help to end his life in Australia, so he was
forced to travel to Switzerland, something he has said he resents.
"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.
The
104-year-old said he hoped the widespread interest in his case would
spur Australia and other countries to rethink their legislation.
AN INSTRUMENT FOR CHANGE?
"I
would quite like to be remembered as an instrument of freeing the
elderly from the need to pursue their life irrespective," 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.
He
was speaking alongside Philip Nitschke, the founder of Exit
International which helped him make his final journey, and Moritz Gall
of Eternal Spirit, the Swiss foundation that has agreed to help him die.
Goodall
secured a fast-track appointment with the foundation after he attempted
but failed to commit suicide on his own earlier this year.
"It
would have been much more convenient for everyone if I had been able
to, but unfortunately it failed," he said of the suicide attempt.
But
he said he was happy that he had been offered the "Swiss option", since
he has been able to see most of his large family, which is spread over
several countries, in the run up to his final day.
Assisted
suicide is illegal in most countries and was banned in Australia until
the state of Victoria became the first to legalise the practice last
year.
But that legislation, which
takes effect in June 2019, only applies to terminally ill patients of
sound mind and a life expectancy of less than six months.
According
to Swiss law meanwhile, anyone who is of sound mind and who has over a
period of time voiced a consistent wish to end their life can request
so-called assisted voluntary death, or AVD.
Eternal
Spirit, one of several foundations in Switzerland that assist people
who want to end their lives, said Wednesday that Goodall had undergone
two medical visits by different doctors since arriving in the city.
NO HESITATION
"Tonight
the board of the foundation will study the documents and also judge the
wish to die of David Goodall," Eternal Spirit head Erika Preisig said
in an email, adding that the answer would "likely" be yes.
But Gall stressed to reporters that Goodall had the option until the very last minute to back down if he changed his mind.
Asked if he had any hesitations or doubts, the 104-year-old said: "No. None whatsoever."
In assisted dying, the person must be physically capable of carrying out the final deed on their own.
Most
Swiss foundations ask patients to drink sodium pentobarbital, an
effective sedative that in strong enough doses causes the heart muscle
to stop beating.
Since the substance is alkaline and burns a bit when swallowed, Eternal Spirit has instead opted for intravenous infusions.
A
professional prepares the needle, but it is up to the patient to open
the valve that allows the short-acting barbiturate to mix with a saline
solution and begin flowing into their vein.
Goodall said he expected his death to take place around noon on Thursday.
Exit
International and Eternal Spirit are advocating for all countries to
introduce systems similar to the Swiss one, allowing people to choose to
die "in dignity".
"This is a human right, to be able to make an elected decision by a rational adult to take this step," Nitschke said.
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