Swiss-born Minelli dies just before his 93rd birthday
Contributed greatly to shifting international perceptions of assisted suicide over 30 years
Ludwig Minelli, founder of the Swiss assisted-suicide support group Dignitas, in his lifetime. Provided by Dignitas
A Swiss assisted-suicide activist who devoted his life to the 'right to die with dignity' ended his life through assisted suicide.
The Swiss assisted-suicide support group 'Dignitas' said that its founder, Ludwig Minelli, died by assisted suicide on the 29th of last month (local time), just days before his 93rd birthday on December 5, according to reports on the 1st by the BBC in the United Kingdom and others.
Minelli, a human-rights lawyer and former journalist, founded Dignitas in 1998. Assisted suicide refers to a form of euthanasia in which, with the help of a physician, the patient self-administers the medication.
At Dignitas, Minelli campaigned for the 'right to die' under the slogan "Dignity in life, dignity in death". In a 2010 BBC interview, he said, "We must struggle to realize the last human right that has not yet been realized in our society," adding, "That last human right is the right to decide the end of life, and the right to carry out that decision without risk or pain."
In the roughly 30 years since Dignitas was founded, international perceptions of assisted suicide have changed significantly. According to the Guardian, France recently decided to allow assisted suicide for some terminally ill patients.
Canada·Australia·New Zealand·Spain·Austria have introduced assisted-suicide laws since 2015, and in the United States it is legal in 10 states.
In particular, Dignitas became globally known by supporting assisted suicide not only for Swiss citizens but also for foreigners who come to Switzerland from countries where euthanasia is not permitted. It is reported that, on an annual basis last year, Dignitas supported more than 4,000 assisted deaths, including foreigners.
Currently, in Switzerland, euthanasia in which a doctor directly administers the medication to a patient is illegal. However, Switzerland has permitted assisted suicide since 1942 on the conditions that there is no profit motive and that the person seeking death is mentally sound.
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