Dignitas: Founding an assisted dying society

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 26 June 2024

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1998, the assisted dying society, Dignitas was set up in Switzerland by lawyer Ludwig Minelli.

It was the first end-of-life organisation in the world to help foreigners - non-Swiss citizens - to die.

Since then around 4,000 people from 65 different countries have ended their lives with help from the group, which operates under the full name 'Dignitas - To live with dignity. To die with dignity.'

But while 10 countries have legalised assisted dying, most have not. Critics say it can weaken respect for human life, put pressure on the terminally ill to die and lead to worsening end-of-life care.

Ludwig Minelli tells Jane Wilkinson why he believes freedom of choice is so important.

(Photo: Ludwig Minelli in 2012. Credit: Sebastien Bozon/AFP/GettyImages)

Transcript

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0:42.0	with me Jane Wilkinson and first a warning this
0:46.2	episode discusses assisted dying. I'm taking you back to Switzerland in 1998 and the launch of a group that helps people to die
0:56.8	and that many critics believe shouldn't exist.
1:01.1	A terminally ill British man is traveling to Zurich today.
1:04.0	Reginald crew suffers from motor neuron disease.
1:07.0	He's going to swallow a lethal solution in the presence of his wife and family.
1:12.0	Just like he told me I never wake up again.
1:15.0	That was a BBC report about one of the earliest cases involving Dignitas,
1:21.0	the assisted dying society. The man who founded the group Digne Dignitass, the Assisted Dying Society.
1:23.6	The man who founded the group is Ludwig Manelli.
1:26.7	I was happy that I can help people to follow what they had decided for themselves and to give a kick to foreign governments which do not allow freedom for their people.
	...

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