(9 May 2018) A 104-year-old British-born Australian scientist who is planning to kill himself on Thursday by taking advantage of Switzerland's assisted-suicide laws, spoke of his determination to end his life.
Speaking at a news conference in Geneva on Wednesday, David Goodall said he had been contemplating the idea of suicide for about 20 years, but only started thinking about it for himself after his quality of life deteriorated over the last year.
He cited a lack of mobility, doctor's restrictions and an Australian law prohibiting him from taking his own life among his complaints, but he is not ill.
Goodall, a botanist, has been looking to draw attention to his desire to end his life in hopes that countries like Australia change their laws to be more accepting of assisted suicide.
Hundreds of people - some far more frail than Goodall, who uses a wheelchair - travel to Switzerland every year to take their lives.
The best-known group to help foreigners end their days in the Alpine country is Dignitas, but others include Life Circle in Basel - Goodall's choice.
Doctors say Goodall plans to take his life with an injection of the barbiturate pentobarbitol, a chemical often used as an anaesthetic but which is lethal at excessive doses.
Those who take their lives through assisted suicide in Switzerland often get injections 15 times greater than that of typical medical doses for anaesthesia.
Goodall said after reaching middle age, people should be allowed to decide themselves whether to use medicine to take their own lives.

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