Dignitas Founder Dies by Assisted Suicide at 92
Zurich, Switzerland – Lukas Minelli, the founder of dignitas, the Swiss assisted dying institution, has died by assisted suicide at the age of 92, the group confirmed. Dignitas provides assisted suicide to individuals, including those from countries where the practice is illegal.
Minelli began his career as a journalist for German news magazine Der spiegel before studying law and developing an interest in human rights. He founded Dignitas after a disagreement with the Swiss assisted dying organization Exit, believing their regulations were overly restrictive.
Dignitas gained international prominence by offering assisted suicide to non-Swiss citizens, enabling individuals to end their lives in Switzerland under the country’s legal framework. Swiss law has permitted assisted dying since 1942, provided there is no profit motive and the individual is of sound mind.
Throughout his life,Minelli was a vocal advocate for the right to die,famously coining the slogan “dignity in life,dignity in death.” In a 2010 BBC interview, he stated, “I am persuaded that we have to struggle to implement the last human right in our societies. And the last human right is the right to make a decision on one’s own end, and the possibility to have this end without risk and without pain.”
Minelli faced criticism and numerous legal challenges regarding the organization’s financial openness and its practice of assisting individuals who were not terminally ill. He successfully appealed multiple cases to the Swiss supreme court.
Dignitas acknowledged Minelli’s lasting impact, referencing a 2011 European Court of Human Rights ruling affirming the right of individuals with sound judgment to determine the timing and manner of their death.
The organization stated it will continue its work “in the spirit of its founder as a professional and combative international organisation for self-determination and freedom of choice in life and at the end of life.”
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