Organisation Announces Death of Its Founder
Ludwig Minelli, founder of the Swiss right-to-die organisation Dignitas, has died by assisted suicide at the age of 92, the group announced. Minelli died on Saturday, just days before his 93rd birthday. In its statement, Dignitas said he had lived “a life for freedom of choice, self-determination, and human rights.”
Career Background and Advocacy Work
Minelli founded Dignitas in 1998 and the organisation has since assisted thousands of people seeking to end their lives. He began his career as a journalist, working as a correspondent for Der Spiegel before studying law and developing an interest in human rights. He campaigned throughout his life for what he described as the right to make decisions about one’s own death. In a 2010 BBC interview, Minelli said he believed society needed to implement “the last human right,” referring to the right to decide the manner and timing of one’s own death without pain or risk.
Minelli created Dignitas after leaving the older Swiss assisted-dying organisation Exit, which he felt had rules that were too restrictive. Dignitas became widely known for accepting non-Swiss citizens who travelled to Switzerland because assisted dying was illegal in their home countries.
Controversies and Legal Challenges
Within Switzerland, Minelli sometimes faced criticism over the organisation’s financial transparency and for offering assisted dying to individuals who were not terminally ill but wanted to end their lives. He faced multiple legal challenges and made several successful appeals to the Swiss supreme court. Dignitas noted his influence on European legal discussions, highlighting a 2011 European Court of Human Rights ruling affirming the right of a person capable of judgement to decide how and when to end their life.
Legal Context of Assisted Dying in Switzerland
Euthanasia, in which a physician administers a lethal drug, is illegal in Switzerland. Assisted dying, however, has been permitted since 1942 under strict conditions. Swiss law requires that there be no profit motive and that the individual seeking to die is of sound mind. These legal constraints continue to define how organisations such as Dignitas operate.
Ongoing Work of the Organisation
Dignitas said it would continue to “manage and develop the association in the spirit of its founder” and described itself as an international organisation focused on self-determination and freedom of choice at the end of life. The announcement comes at a time when assisted-dying laws continue to evolve in countries such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, while the UK House of Lords is currently debating its own assisted-dying legislation. Critics of legalisation continue to warn that such laws risk exposing disabled and vulnerable people to coercion.
Featured image credits: Freepik
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