Australian man dies from an assisted suicide at age 104

David Goodall, a 104-year-old Australian biologist, traveled from his home to Basel, Switzerland, to die in an assisted suicide, also known as voluntary euthanasia.

The director of Exit International, Philipp Nitschke, said that Goodall was declared dead at 12:30 p.m. on May 10, 2018. ABC News reported that it was a decision that Goodall had made a long time ago

He had been contemplating the idea of suicide for more than 20 years but he cleared his mind about it over the last year, when his health condition started deteriorating quickly.

Goodall also admitted that he regretted having reached that age and that he was not happy at all. He had to go to Basel because it was the only place in the world that advocates for end-of-life choice.

There is a state in Australia, Victoria, where assisted suicide is legal, though. The Voluntary Assisted Dying Law was created and accepted in November 2017 but will go into effect in June 2019.

Apart from that, the central and north of Australia briefly legalized assisted suicide in 1995. However, the Euthanasia Laws Act of 1997 nullified that law.

Exit International believe that a person who wants to die should not be forced to leave their home to do it as they deserve a peaceful and dignified death wherever they want.

Goodall was a fervent believer of that allegations as he never hesitated to go all the way to Basel to kill himself. The same source reported that his long-time friend, Carol O’Neil, made the trip with him.

‘My feeling is that an old person like myself should have full citizenship rights including the right of assisted suicide.’

David Goodall, ABC News, May 1, 2018.

While he was not ill, his ability to move greatly decreased over the years, which was one of the main reasons he decided to take his life.