‘Goodbye’

Scientist David Goodall, 104, Ends His Life in Assisted Suicide

Sparked international debate on voluntary euthanasia.

Renowned scientist David Goodall has fulfilled his final wish and taken his life through assisted suicide at a Swiss clinic at the age of 104. The Australian academic sparked an international debate on voluntary euthanasia as a high-profile figure who opted to undergo the procedure due to old age rather than a terminal illness. The great-grandfather spent time with family in Bordeaux, France, over the weekend, before traveling to Basel in Switzerland, where assisted dying is legal. Ahead of his death, he said: “My recent life has not been enjoyable. I am glad to arrive [in Basel]. I’ll be even more pleased when further steps of my journey are completed. I have been able to say goodbye. I was a bit sorry to say goodbye to my family in Bordeaux, but that’s the way it was.” Goodall told reporters he would listen to Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” during the fatal procedure, which was carried out Thursday at a secret location.