Catholic Study Find Dignitas Has Positive Outcomes

The following is an extract of a thesis researched and written by a student at a German Catholic Tertiary Institute. The student has chosen to remain anonymous in fear of reprisals from the church because the research highlights positive outcomes for sufferers, and no slippery slope.

Translated from German by NAATI accredited translator, V.R. Neale.

FOREWORD

DIGNITAS is occasionally asked by students in Switzerland and from overseas whether they could have the opportunity, within the framework of their studies, to complete at DIGNITAS headquarters the work experience required for their course.

As DIGNITAS operates with complete openness, such requests as a rule receive a positive reply, if the intended practical work is planned for at least four weeks. DIGNITAS suggests to the student that he or she during this time should spend about half the work period in normal office work, in order to get to know in depth the method used by DIGNITAS, and during the second half of the work period should complete a study, in which certain questions are examined which may interest not only DIGITAS but also the public.

The student, if he or she wishes, also gets the opportunity to be present at one or more accompanied suicides, so as to get to know from his or her own experience this part of the activities of DIGNITAS. The student is also present at interviews of persons wanting to die, with on of the doctors who work with DIGNITAS, provided that the member of DIGNITAS agrees to this.

In the present case, a student of a Catholic Tertiary Institute in Germany had applied for such a work experience. In the preliminary correspondence DIGNITAS informed the student that she should clarify with her professor whether such an activity might possibly cause her a professional disadvantage, if during her study she came to conclusions which might have a positive result for DIGNITAS – and for the question of whether suicide help should be provided.

The professor dispelled these scruples, in any case regarding the value of the work and of the study. After examining the thesis, however, he pointed out – no doubt in the well-understood interest of his student – that publication of her thesis under the name of the author and giving the name of the Tertiary Institute might have a negative effect, re employment prospects, on church supporters of organizations which might later be possible employers of the Tertiary Institute graduate. For this reason the author could not agree to the wish of DIGNITAS to publish this extract or the whole thesis under her name and naming the Tertiary Institute.

DIGNITAS thanks the author sincerely, however, for permission to publish this extract without giving her name and name of her Tertiary Technical Institute.

The study refutes the assertion spread by opponents of this “last human right” that DIGNITAS helps far too many people, and far too quickly, to an accompanied suicide. Not only is the contrary true, in fact the positive effects of the activity of DIGNITAS are much more frequent than the cases in which death is actually chosen by a member as the best solution.

Ludwig A. Minelli
General Secretary DIGNITAS
Live with human dignity – Die with human dignity.

EXTRACT FROM THE THESIS

9.0 Results of the empirical study at DIGNITAS

My study was written on the basis of members’ dossiers. I had access to 387 dossiers, which were kept in white file covers. The dossiers were of members who had requested preparation of a suicide attendance and whose applications were forwarded to doctors. In many cases, most men and women received the so-called “green light”, which means that a Swiss doctor has stated that he is prepared in principle to issue the prescription for the medication which causes death. These members, however, had since then not made further contact.

The following points interested me in this connection:

1. The ratio of the sexes
2. The distribution of age groups
3. What percentage of those concerned
   -received the “provisional green light”
   -came to a personal consultation with a doctor in Switzerland
   -were given a prescription for the medication which causes death
4. How many days passed between the suicide request and “green light”
5. After how many days did the members no longer make contact, after they had received the “green light”?

In order to ascertain this, I studied during my work experience all the white dossiers, which was very tedious and time consuming. I worked with the computer program Excel, in which I received data relevant for the study.

Applications in English, French and Italian were a special challenge. I should mention here that the DIGNITAS staff and also Mr Minelli were a very great help to me with translations, as unfortunately my knowledge of foreign languages includes only English.

In regard to the ratio of the sexes, I was able to ascertain that more women than men applied to DIGNITAS for help.

Figure 1 shows that 61% women and 39% men made an application for accompanied suicide.

Fig. 1 : Ratio of sexes. August 2005.

With 39.7% the years of birth 1929 – 1939 were most represented, the 85 – 66 year olds at this time. The next largest group with 37.8% included years of birth 1940 – 1959, the 65 – 46 year olds in the year 2005.

As Fig 2 shows the other age groups were less represented. I believe this is because the 96-86 year olds (8.2%) were possibly no longer able to write an application, or did not have access to information re accompanied suicide, or else had already died.

The remaining 14.3% were persons from year of birth 1960. I think they are represented by a lower percentage because the number of younger persons with cancer, AIDS or MS, the most common illness of members, is rather scarce.

Personally I am alarmed that there were persons of my age or still younger who made a request for accompanied suicide. At the time of my study the youngest member was 18 years old.

Fig.2. Distribution of age groups (years of birth). August 2005.

Most members of DIGNITAS received the “green light” within a short time namely 61.8%.

16.4% received within 50 to 99 days (1.5 to 3 months) provisional consent to an accompanied suicide. The remaining 21.8% obtained the “green light” within between 100 days (hardly more than 3 months) and 1299 days (about 43months, i.e. 3.5 years). Fig 3 shows this in detail.

Here I should mention that I was not now dealing with 387 members. At this point only 110 persons were included in the study. For the other 277, additional documents, e.g. birth or marriage certificates, were required, or medical reports were incomplete or not valid evidence, so that the application could not be processed in a direct way.
Members who had to send additional documents later were not included in this study.

Fig. 3 No of days between application for accompanied suicide and provisional “green light”. August 2005.

I was interested to find out how many persons received the “green light”, how many claimed a consultation with a doctor, and what percentage were actually given a prescription for 15g natrium pentobarbital.

67.3% received the “green light”, 19.4% had a consultation with a doctor, and 13.3% were given a prescription. See Fig 4.

At this point I should mention that the evaluation again included not 387 but 248 persons. This is due to the fact that members of DIGNITAS did not make further contact after handing in their applications.

Fig. 4. Events which look place. August 2005.

It was and is more than astonishing that 70.7% of DIGNITAS members did not make further contact after receiving the provisional “green light”. 15.7% made contact again after 1 to 99 days (up to about 3months), as shown in Fig. 5. Here the basis of the study is again is evaluation of the 387 members in the white dossiers.

Fig. 5. No. of days between provisional “green light”
And last contact of member. August 2005.

These 86.4% confirm a successful suicide prophylaxis by DIGNITAS, which I can verify by two examples.

A member ill with HIV, after he had obtained the “green light”, had to go into psychological treatment. His blood tests improved enormously, so that they become like those of a healthy person, as Mr Minelli told me.

On the last day of my work experience, there was to be an accompanied suicide of a German member, as the cancer pain in spite of several sessions of chemotherapy had not been arrested, and even morphine could not relieve the pain. After green light and subsequent consultation with a doctor, the person did not, however, have himself taken to Zurich to the dwelling provided for accompanied suicides, but to the airport in order to travel home. The person stated that he no longer felt any pain. This was a happy experience for me, quite apart from the new will to live of the sick person and for his family.

DIGNITAS and its members speak of a kind of valve by which pressure can be let off. The severely ill persons know that they have a possibility of ending their loves if the pain and suffering become unbearable.

This knowledge leads, as DIGNITAS and my study confirm, to psychic relief and even to an improvement of the pathological condition.

Thesis Student