In a case which has attracted world-wide attention, 104-year-old Australian scientist Dr David Goodall went to Switzerland to die at Lifecircle . Dr Goodall, a distinguished ecologist who retired in 1979, was frail but not terminally ill. Hence he would not have been eligible to move to the Australian state of Victoria to die there under its new euthanasia legislation. Dr Goodall was able to find support for his request for assisted suicide overseas. A special campaign organised by Dr Nitschke raised enough money to finance a flight to Basel.
“I greatly regret having reached that age,” he said upon reaching his 104th birthday. “I’m not happy. I want to die. It’s not sad particularly. What is sad is if one is prevented. My feeling is that an old person like myself should have full citizenship rights including the right of assisted suicide.”