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| David Goodall, 104, plans to fly to Switzerland in early May to die. (Exit International/AFP/Getty Images) |
Champagne bubbles danced in fancy glasses and
birthday candles burned atop a cheesecake marking 104 years of a long
and accomplished life.
David Goodall listened quietly as his loved ones started to sing.
Then he took a breath, made a wish and blew out the flames.
But
Goodall was not wholeheartedly celebrating the milestone this month
in Perth, Australia. The botanist and ecologist, who is thought to be
the country’s oldest scientist, said that he has lived too long. And
now, he said, he is ready to die.
“I greatly regret having reached that age. I would much prefer to be 20 or 30 years younger,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. When
asked whether he had a nice birthday, he told the news organization:
“No, 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,” the 104-year-old added.
Goodall
is set to travel more than 8,000 miles this week to Switzerland. That
country, like most others, has not passed legislation legalizing
assisted suicide, but under some circumstances its laws do not forbid
it.
It’s there, in northwestern Switzerland, where Goodall plans to die.
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