The government of the canton of Zurich believes that the foundation is not doing anything illegal. Lawyer Ludwig Minelli founded Dignitas in 1998. Over 10 years of existence, the foundation helped nearly 800 clients part with life. The other day, its founder explained in an interview with Le Monde that Dignitas very carefully selects clients and agrees to help only 10-12 terminally ill patients per 100 requests.
In Switzerland, active euthanasia is prohibited, but the law has allowed assistance with voluntary suicide since 1942. This requires only a doctor's certificate confirming the patient's voluntary desire to commit suicide and the absence of any financial gain for the assistant. And, apparently, it is precisely because of the activities of Dignitas that the German word Sterbetourismus, meaning 'death tourism,' was chosen from over 2,000 submissions as the 'Word of the Year 2007' in the German-speaking part of Switzerland.
Initially, the foundation was located in an inconspicuous residential building on the outskirts of Zurich. Incurable patients were brought to Minelli. Most of them, over 50%, were Germans. In second place among voluntary suicides were Britons, in third were French. After paying €3,500, which according to Minelli covers the foundation's expenses, and completing the necessary paperwork, the clients themselves (this is a mandatory condition) drink a glass of water in which 15 grams of pentobarbital are dissolved. This happens in the presence of two witnesses - a foundation employee and a relative of the client. Within a few minutes, the client falls into a deep sleep, and after another quarter of an hour stops breathing.
After death is confirmed, a Dignitas representative calls the police, prosecutors, pathologists, undertakers, etc. Then the suicides are placed in black body bags and taken downstairs. Carrying the bodies down narrow stairs is heavy and inconvenient, so Dignitas employees used the elevator - the same one used by ordinary residents of the building. After people began moving out even from neighboring houses, and the mayor's office was flooded with complaints, the authorities in September last year suggested Minelli find a new location. At first he wanted to rent several hotel rooms, but after threats from the hotel association to go to court, he was forced to abandon the idea. Minelli found shelter not far from the city, in the village of Schwarzenbach, which houses the largest brothel in the country. The municipal council tried to prevent the appearance of another dubious attraction in the village, but was powerless.
The new location suits Dignitas employees just fine. The house has a freight elevator, which significantly eases the work of orderlies. In the four months the foundation has been operating in Schwarzenbach, more than 30 people have entered through the main door and left in coffins. In total last year, Dignitas helped 135 foreigners and six Swiss to pass away. Compared to 2006, the 'indicators' decreased. In the year before last, there were 200 such people.
Notably, from the moment of arrival in Zurich to the suicide often passes only a few hours. Skeptics doubt that this time is enough to determine whether a person is capable of making such an important decision and whether he really wants to end his life. Relatives and friends of the suicides have filed lawsuits against doctors and Dignitas several times, but achieved nothing.
But Dignitas changed not only its address but also its method of operation. Since February, clients go to the afterlife by putting their head into a plastic bag filled with helium. In Switzerland, the new method is compared to the gas chambers used in the Third Reich. The news caused particular concern in neighboring Germany, where, incidentally, a branch of Dignitas operates. However, it is Germany, where the 'Society for a Dignified Death' has more than 35,000 members, that may in the near future compete with Switzerland in the sphere of 'death tourism.'
Doctor of Law Roger Kusch was until recently considered one of the most promising German politicians. Under Helmut Kohl, he headed the Department of Internal Security, and in 2001 became Minister of Justice in Hamburg. But as a result of internal party struggle, Kusch was forced to leave the Christian Democratic Union. He created a small group advocating for a dignified death for incurably ill people, completely withdrew from politics, and now advises elderly people who wish to commit suicide and are concerned about legal and tax issues. Kusch is now advertising his invention - the Perfusor - a small green device, something between an electrical transformer and a paintball gun. The Perfusor will help commit suicide with the push of a button. It makes an injection of potassium chloride - a drug used for capital punishment in several US states.
In Germany, assisting suicides is prohibited, but as legal scholars believe, renting out the Perfusor is not illegal. The main thing is to comply with a few formalities, for example, consulting a doctor to correctly select the dose of chloride. The client must insert the needle and press the button themselves.