Retired Art Teacher Committed Suicide because of Frustration with Modern Life

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The 89-year-old, named only as Anne, complained that people were becoming 'robots' before travelling to Dignitas in Switzerland

A retired art teacher committed suicide at the Dignitas clinic because she was frustrated at the lack of interaction in modern life, because of our reliance on computers and the Internet.

The 89-year-old, who asked only to be identified as Anne before her death, was frustrated with the trappings of modern life, including fast food, consumerism and the amount of time people spend watching television.

Anne, a former electrician with the Royal Navy, was not terminally ill or seriously handicapped and travelled to Dignitas in Switzerland last month.

Before her death she told the Sunday Times [£]: “People are becoming more and more remote … We are becoming robots. It is this lack of humanity.”

She described the modern age as “cutting corners” and said she could not adapt to it, as she felt all the traditional ways of doing things had disappeared. » | Claire Carter | Sunday, April 06, 2014

Zurich Votes to Keep 'Suicide Tourism' Alive
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Voters in the Swiss canton (state) of Zurich have overwhelmingly rejected calls to ban assisted suicide or to outlaw the practice for non-residents.

Zurich's cantonal voters rejected both measures on Sunday that had been backed by political and religious conservatives.

Out of more than 278,000 ballots cast, the initiative to ban assisted suicide was rejected by 85 per cent of voters and the initiative to outlaw it for foreigners was turned down by 78 per cent, according to Zurich authorities. » | Sunday, May 15, 2011

Verbunden (Schwyzertüütsch) »

Dignitas-Gründer erfreut über Zustimmung zur Sterbehilfe
Deutliche Abfuhr für die zwei Volksinitiativen der EDU: Die Zürcher Stimmberechtigten wollen die Sterbehilfe und den Sterbetourismus nicht verbieten und lehnten beide Vorlagen mit grossen Nein-Stimmenanteilen ab. Ludwig A. Minelli der Sterbehilfe-Organisation Dignitas zeigt sich in «Schweiz aktuell» hocherfreut über das klare Resultat.

SCHWEIZER FERNSEHEN: Der Gründer und Generalsekretär von Dignitas, Ludwig A. Minelli, sagte, das Zürcher Volk habe seine Schätzungen gar übertroffen. Er fühle sich in seiner Arbeit bestätigt. »

Das Video wurde in Schwyzertüütsch (Schweizerdeutsch) übertragen.

Dignitas missachtet letzten Willen einer Verstorbenen: Die Organisation bestattete eine 81-Jährige Frau gegen ihren Wunsch im Zürichsee
NZZ ONLINE: Dignitas hat menschliche Asche im Zürichsee versenkt – auch jene einer Frau, die eigentlich eine Friedhofbestattung wollte.

Vor knapp drei Wochen entdeckten Taucher 35 Urnen mit menschlicher Asche im Zürichsee. Der Fund provozierte Spekulationen über regelmässige Seebestattungen der Sterbehilfeorganisation Dignitas. Jetzt lässt sich nachweisen, dass die Organisation tatsächlich Asche von Verstorbenen in den See geworfen hatte. >>> Andreas Schmid | Sonntag, 09. Mai 2010

Death with Dignity Indeed! Ashes Dumped in Lake Zurich Put Dignitas Back in the Spotlight
'We stopped counting after 50': urns were found at bottom of Lake Zurich. Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: The controversial Swiss suicide clinic Dignitas is likely to come under fresh scrutiny after divers discovered dozens of cremation urns on the bed of Lake Zurich.

“After 50, we stopped counting,” Roman Ruetz, a police diver, said. “They lay there in a big heap.” On being brought to the surface the urns were found to contain ashes.

There is little that directly connects Dignitas, which operates near by, with the urns, apart from the fact that they carried the logo of the Nordheim crematorium used by the suicide clinic.

One former employee and long-standing Dignitas critic, Soraya Wernli, told The Times 18 months ago that the clinic had dropped at least 300 urns in the lake.

Ludwig Minelli, the founder of Dignitas, refused to comment yesterday. >>> Roger Boyes in Berlin | Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Lord Falconer Suggests Archbishop of Canterbury’s Stance on Assisted Suicide Lacks Christian Compassion
THE TELEGRAPH: Lord Falconer has suggested that the Archbishop of Canterbury’s stance on assisted suicide lacks Christian compassion.

The former Lord Chancellor claimed Dr Rowan Williams should not want the relatives of terminally ill people to be prosecuted for helping them end their lives.

He called on the Church of England to take part in a wider discussion on assisted dying, even though it has been at the forefront of opposition to possible changes in the law.

Lord Falconer is the latest high-profile legal figure to speak out in the polarised debate over whether anyone who helps a loved one end their suffering should face jail.

His attempt to amend current laws – which make aiding and abetting suicide a crime punishable by up to 14 years behind bars – failed in the House of Lords in July. He wanted to remove the threat of prosecution for people who help relatives travel to “suicide clinics” such as Dignitas in Switzerland, as long as two doctors had certified they were terminally ill and had made their decision rationally. >>> Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Friday, September 11, 2009