Ludwig Minelli, the founder of Dignitas died at the end of November. He was 92 and chose to end his life in the Dignitas AVD centre near Zurich. He had been an immensely powerful figure in the worldwide right-to-die movement, being the moving force behind the 2011 decision from the European Court of Human Rights that any person has a right to decide the manner and time of their own end of life.
From the moment he launched Dignitas in 1998 he made sure that the end-of-life facilities it offered would be available, uniquely at the time, to foreigners as well as to Swiss citizens. Around 720 people per year now travel to Switzerland each year and several other AVD providers have subsequently been launched.
From the outset, Ludwig Minelli was insistent that the Assisted Dying process should be seen as judicial rather than medical. He therefore ensured that patients should have to drink the Nembutal rather than use a cannula to enable it to enter their body. Although, under Swiss law, the patient must control the cannula valve themselves, the insertion of the cannula does require the presence of a qualified nurse and is therefore a “medical” process. Only in exceptional cases can a cannula be used at Dignitas.
So, now that he is no longer with us, can we expect a change to that policy ? The evidence from Canada and other places where a choice can be provided is that users often have a strong preference for a needle in their arm rather than a drink in a glass. The cannula works faster. It feels just like the application of a pre-operation anaesthetic.
Obviously any such change should not be expected quickly, if only out of respect for the huge contribution that Ludwig has made. Within a year or so, however, the Dignitas Association might well be considering the question.
