Goodall’s decision is reigniting a debate about euthanasia in Australia where assisted suicide is illegal

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Australia’s oldest scientist, who caused a stir when his university tried to vacate his office aged 102, will fly to Switzerland in early May to end his life, reigniting a national euthanasia debate.

David Goodall, who is now 104, does not have a terminal illness but his quality of life has deteriorated and he has secured a fast-track appointment with an assisted dying agency in Basel, euthanasia advocates said.

“I greatly regret having reached that age,�? the ecologist told broadcaster ABC on his birthday earlier this month. “I’m not happy. I want to die. It’s not sad particularly. What is sad is if one is prevented.

“My feeling is that an old person like myself should have full citizenship rights including the right of assisted suicide,�? he added.

Assisted suicide is illegal in most countries around the world 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 from June 2019, only applies to terminally ill patients of sound mind and a life expectancy of less than six months.

Other states in Australia have debated euthanasia in the past, but the proposals have always been defeated, mostly recently in New South Wales state last year. It was legalised in the Northern Territory, which is not a state, in 1995, but the commonwealth government overturned that legislation in 1997.

Exit International, which is helping Goodall make the trip, said it was unjust that one of Australia’s “oldest and most prominent citizens should be forced to travel to the other side of the world to die with dignity�?.

“A peaceful, dignified death is the entitlement of all who want it. And a person should not be forced to leave home to achieve it,�? it said on its website Monday.

Australia's oldest scientist, 102, given new office on Perth campus Read more

The group has launched a GoFundMe campaign to get plane tickets for Goodall and his helper upgraded to business class from economy and has so far raised more than A$17,000 ($13,000).

Goodall, an honorary research associate at Perth’s Edith Cowan University, made international headlines in 2016 when he was declared unfit to be on campus.

After an uproar and support from scientists globally, the decision was reversed.

He has produced dozens of research papers and until recently continued to review and edit for different ecology journals.

• This article was amended on 1 May 2018 to acknowledge the legalisation of euthanasia in the Northern Territory from 1995 to 1997.</s>David Goodall (104) will fly to Switzerland in early May to end his life. Photo: AFP / Exit International

SYDNEY - Australia's oldest scientist, who caused a stir when his university tried to vacate his office aged 102, will fly to Switzerland in early May to end his life, reigniting a national euthanasia debate.

David Goodall, who is now 104, does not have a terminal illness but his quality of life has deteriorated and he has secured a fast-track appointment with an assisted dying agency in Basel, euthanasia advocates said.

"I greatly regret having reached that age," the ecologist told broadcaster ABC on his birthday earlier this month. "I'm not happy. I want to die. It's not sad particularly. What is sad is if one is prevented.

"My feeling is that an old person like myself should have full citizenship rights including the right of assisted suicide," he added.

Assisted suicide is illegal in most countries around the world 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 from June 2019, only applies to terminally ill patients of sound mind and a life expectancy of less than six months.

Other states in Australia have debated euthanasia in the past, but the proposals have always been defeated, mostly recently in New South Wales state last year.

Exit International, which is helping Goodall make the trip, said it was unjust that one of Australia's "oldest and most prominent citizens should be forced to travel to the other side of the world to die with dignity".

"A peaceful, dignified death is the entitlement of all who want it. And a person should not be forced to leave home to achieve it," it said on its website Monday.

The group has launched a GoFundMe campaign to get plane tickets for Goodall and his helper upgraded to business class from economy and has so far raised more than Aus$17,000 (US$13,000).

Goodall, an honorary research associate at Perth's Edith Cowan University, made international headlines in 2016 when he was declared unfit to be on campus.

After an uproar and support from scientists globally, the decision was reversed.

He has produced dozens of research papers and until recently continued to review and edit for different ecology journals.</s>AUSTRALIA’s oldest scientist, who caused a stir when his university tried to vacate his office aged 102, will fly to Switzerland in early May to end his life, reigniting a national euthanasia debate.

David Goodall, who is now 104, does not have a terminal illness but his quality of life has deteriorated and he has secured a fast-track appointment with an assisted dying agency in Basel, euthanasia advocates said.

“I greatly regret having reached that age,” the ecologist told broadcaster ABC on his birthday earlier this month. “I’m not happy. I want to die. It’s not sad particularly. What is sad is if one is prevented.”

“My feeling is that an old person like myself should have full citizenship rights including the right of assisted suicide,” he added.

Assisted suicide is illegal in most countries around the world and was banned in Australia until the state of Victoria became the first to legalize the practice last year.

But that legislation, which takes effect on June 2019, only applies to terminally ill patients of sound mind and a life expectancy of less than six months.

Other states in Australia have debated euthanasia in the past, but the proposals have always been defeated, mostly recently in New South Wales state last year.

Exit International, which is helping Goodall make the trip, said it was unjust that one of Australia’s “oldest and most prominent citizens should be forced to travel to the other side of the world to die with dignity.”

“A peaceful, dignified death is the entitlement of all who want it. And a person should not be forced to leave home to achieve it,” it said on its website Monday.

The group has launched a GoFundMe campaign to get plane tickets for Goodall and his helper upgraded to business class from economy and has so far raised more than Aus$17,000 (US$13,000).</s>Australia's oldest scientist has made the decision to fly to Switzerland to end his life next month, despite not having a terminal illness.

David Goodall, who is 104, said his quality of life has deteriorated and has secured a fast-track appointment with an assisted dying agency in Basel.

"I greatly regret having reached that age," the ecologist told broadcaster ABC on his birthday earlier this month.

"I'm not happy. I want to die. It's not sad particularly. What is sad is if one is prevented.

"My feeling is that an old person like myself should have full citizenship rights including the right of assisted suicide," he added.

Mr Goodall made the headlines in 2016 when his university tried to force him from his role after declaring the then-102-year-old was unfit to be on campus.

The decision by Perth's Edith Cowan University was reversed after he received support from scientists all over the world.

Mr Goodall has produced dozens of research papers and until recently continued to review and edit for different ecology journals.

Assisted suicide is illegal in most countries around the world 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 from June 2019, only applies to terminally ill patients of sound mind and a life expectancy of less than six months.

Other states in Australia have debated euthanasia in the past, but the proposals have always been defeated, mostly recently in New South Wales last year.

Exit International, which is helping Mr Goodall make the trip, said it was unjust that one of Australia's "oldest and most prominent citizens should be forced to travel to the other side of the world to die with dignity".

The group has launched a GoFundMe campaign to pay for business class plane tickets for Mr Goodall and his helper which has so far raised more than Aus$17,000 (£9,300).</s>A 104-year-old scientist says that he is ready to die, and is going to Switzerland to legally end his life.

Prof. David Goodall, who lives in West Australia, celebrated his birthday last month, but told ABC that he “greatly (regrets) having reached that age.”

Goodall, who still does academic work after more than 70 years as an ecologist, told the outlet that he plans on flying to France to see family before going to Basel, Switzerland, to end his life.

Assisted suicide is illegal in Australia, though the state of Victoria will next year start allowing it for terminally ill patients — which the centenarian is not.

The U.S. is far from being the world’s happiest country

“It’s not sad, particularly. What is sad is if one is prevented,” said Goodall, who two years ago was banned from his work at Edith Cowan University over concerns about his safety before challenging and reversing the decision.

The scientist, who ABC Australia reports has unsuccessfully tried to kill himself multiple times in the last year, is an advocate of the procedure, which is illegal in the U.S. except for seven states and Washington D.C.

In other states assisted suicide is banned by homicide laws, and discussions about the issue often feature loud opposition from religious groups such as the Catholic Church.

Assisted suicide is legal under some circumstances in Switzerland, though euthanasia is not.

The group Exit International put out a call for donations before the professor’s procedure and had raised more than $19,000 by Tuesday, the day before his flight to Europe.</s>Renowned Australian scientist David Goodall, 104, said Monday he will travel to Switzerland this week to end his life.

Goodall, the country’s oldest scientist, is not terminally ill but said he is ready to die and called on Australia to consider legalizing assisted suicide, The Guardian reported.

“I greatly regret having reached that age. I would much prefer to be 20 or 30 years younger,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. When asked whether he had a nice birthday, he told the news organization: “No, I’m not happy. I want to die. ... It’s not sad, particularly. What is sad is if one is prevented.”

“My feeling is that an old person like myself should have full citizenship rights, including the right of assisted suicide,” he added.

The scientist is slated to travel to Switzerland for the procedure. Doctor-assisted suicide is illegal in many countries but Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands have legalized euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.

In Switzerland, the law “prohibits assisted suicide but only for selfish motives,” The Washington Post reported.

The state of Victoria in Australia recently passed a euthanasia bill. In 2019, it will be legal for terminally ill patients to undergo the procedure. Six states in the U.S., including California, Vermont and Oregon have passed death-with dignity laws for terminally ill people.

Goodall is an advocate for assisted suicide and said “one should be free to use the rest of his life as one chooses.”

“If one chooses to kill oneself, then that’s fair enough. I don’t think anyone else should interfere,” he said.

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Goodall said he was physically fit and even played tennis until he was 90. He said his eyesight started to decline and was told to leave his job as an honorary research assistant at Edith Cowan University after two decades. He was 102 years old at the time. Goodall said the school’s decision to let him go upset him, but university officials overturned their decision.

However, the scientist said he is ready to die and that his health is steadily declining.

“Why should it make me sad?” Goodall said. “I don’t regard it as grim, I regard it as natural.”</s>Professor David Goodall, who is 104 and lives in Western Australia, does not have a terminal illness but does not want to continue living as his quality of life deteriorates.

“I greatly regret having reached that age,” the well-known botanist and ecologist told Australian broadcaster ABC recently. “I’m not happy. I want to die. It’s not sad particularly. What is sad is if one is prevented.”

A fundraising campaign by Exit International to upgrade Goodall’s flight class for the long journey from Perth, along with that of his helper, had exceeded its target of 15,000 Australian dollars (9,368 euros).

The Australian state of Victoria has passed a law to allow assisted suicide, but it does not take effect until June 2019 and only applies to terminally ill patients under certain conditions. The West Australian parliament has a committee inquiry to determine if the state should pass a voluntary euthanasia law.

Otherwise the practice is banned in Australia, as it is in most countries around the world. Voluntary euthanasia is legal in Switzerland.

Exit International said it was unjust that one of the country’s “oldest and most prominent citizens” should have to travel across the globe “to die with dignity”.

Professor Goodall, who is understood to have been a member of the group for 20 years, has said poor eyesight is restricting his ability to work, and reportedly spent two days on the floor of his flat after a fall some months ago. He is due to be received by the Life Circle service, an assisted suicide organisation in Basel.

He will be assisted by euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke, who conducted the world's first medically-assisted death more than 20 years ago. "My personal opinion is if we reason there's a right to life, then everyone has a right to dispose of it," he has reportedly said.

The scientist made international headlines in 2016 when the then 102-year-old was declared unfit to be on campus – a decision which was reversed amid the uproar that ensued.</s>A 104- year-old scientist, David Goodall has declared his intention to fly to Switzerland in early May 2018 to end his life with an assisted dying agency.

Goodall, who is Australia’s oldest scientist, does not have a terminal illness but his quality of life has deteriorated and he has secured a fast-track appointment to get help to die.

“I greatly regret having reached that age,” the ecologist told broadcaster ABC on his birthday earlier this month. “I’m not happy. I want to die. It’s not sad particularly. What is sad is if one is prevented.

“My feeling is that an old person like myself should have full citizenship rights including the right to assisted suicide,” he added.

Assisted suicide is illegal in most countries around the world 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 from June 2019, only applies to terminally ill patients of sound mind and a life expectancy of less than six months.

Exit International, which is helping Goodall make the trip, said it was unjust that one of Australia’s “oldest and most prominent citizens should be forced to travel to the other side of the world to die with dignity”.

“A peaceful, dignified death is the entitlement of all who want it. And a person should not be forced to leave home to achieve it,” it said on its website Monday.

The group has launched a GoFundMe campaign to get plane tickets for Goodall and his helper upgraded to business class from economy and has so far raised more than Aus$17,000 (US$13,000).

Goodall, an honorary research associate at Perth’s Edith Cowan University, made international headlines in 2016 when he was declared unfit to be on campus.

After an uproar and support from scientists globally, the decision was reversed.

He has produced dozens of research papers and until recently continued to review and edit for different ecology journals.</s>SYDNEY: Australia’s oldest scientist, who caused a stir when his university tried to vacate his office aged 102, will fly to Switzerland in early May to end his life, re-igniting a national euthanasia debate. David Goodall, who is now 104, does not have a terminal illness but his quality of life has deteriorated and he has secured a fast-track appointment with an assisted dying agency in Basel, euthanasia advocates said. “I greatly regret having reached that age,” the ecologist told broadcaster ABC on his birthday earlier this month. “I’m not happy. I want to die. It’s not sad particularly. What is sad is if one is prevented. Assisted suicide is illegal in most countries around the world and was banned in Australia until the state of Victoria became the first to legalize the practice last year. But that legislation, which takes effect from June 2019, only applies to terminally ill patients of sound mind and a life expectancy of less than six months. Other states in Australia have debated euthanasia in the past, but the proposals have always been defeated, mostly recently in New South Wales state last year.</s>A 104-year old Australian man said he will travel to Switzerland with the goal of ending his life.

David Goodall, a scientist, plans to go to Basel for the purpose of assisted suicide in early May, according to Exit International, a group that advocates for end-of-life choice.

“I greatly regret having reached that age,” Goodall told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “I’m not happy. I want to die. It’s not sad particularly. What is sad is if one is prevented.”

The group refers to what is commonly called assisted suicide -- when a person chooses to end his or her life with the help of another person, often a doctor -- as “rational suicide” or “voluntary euthanasia.”

Victoria is the only state in Australia where assisted suicide is legal. The state passed the “Voluntary Assisted Dying Law” in November 2017, but it will not go into effect until June 2019. The law is limited to those whose death is expected in no longer than six months.

Goodall said he feels it should be his decision to choose to end his life.

“My feeling is that an old person like myself should have full citizenship rights including the right of assisted suicide,” Goodall added.

The Northern Territory -- in the central and central north of Australia -- briefly legalized assisted suicide in 1995, but the law was nullified in 1997, according to the Euthanasia Laws Act of 1997.

Although Exit International advocates for individuals to have the option of assisted suicide where they live, the organization said it will help Goodall, who will be accompanied by his long-time friend, Carol O'Neil, make the trip to Switzerland.

“A peaceful, dignified death is the entitlement of all who want it," the company said in a statement. "And a person should not be forced to leave home to achieve it.”

It is unclear when Goodall will travel to Switzerland.
David W. Goodall, an Australian scientist aged 104, announces his intention to travel assisted by Exit International to Switzerland to end his own life. Goodall is not terminally ill but says his quality of life has deteriorated with age.