Founder of Assisted Suicide Clinic, Dignitas, Dies of Assisted Suicide

BBC – The founder of the Swiss right-to-die organisation Dignitas has died by assisted suicide, the group says.

Ludwig Minelli, 92, died on Saturday, days before his 93rd birthday.

The group paid tribute to Minelli, saying he had led a "life for freedom of choice, self-determination, and human rights".

Minelli founded Dignitas in 1998, and since then it has helped thousands of people to die.

In recent decades, some countries have shifted their stance on assisted dying, with Australia, Canada and New Zealand introducing laws. The UK House of Lords is currently debating the assisted dying bill.

I mean, he had to do it. If you're going make millions of dollars on the back of an assisted suicide clinic, when it comes close to dying time, you gotta put your money where your mouth is. There doesn't seem to be much detail regarding whether or not Ludwig Minelli was in severe pain, if he only had a matter of days left to live, or if he just really wanted to test out his company's product first hand. But hell (no pun intended)... you can't say he didn't believe in his own work. That's more than a lot of owners and CEO's can say for their life's work. 

I would also imagine if you spend your entire life in the assisted suicide business, which would inevitably involve a shit of load time spent appalling to courts, and advocating the morals of assisted suicide. After spending your life around people who've chosen to go that route at the end of their life. After knowing so much about the technology. You'd probably be kinda tempted to try it out yourself. I'm sure he's been with multiple people who've died by his assisted suicide company in the final moments of their lives. I bet he's spent his whole life wondering what it actually feels like to go through with it. Which does kinda makes me wonder if he might have been perfectly healthy, and the second a doctor told him to go on blood thinners he said, "Yep. That's it. I can't live this way. Get me to the death bed."

Regardless, all things considered, that's a pretty poetic end to the life of Ludwig Minelli. I got a tattoo on my right arm that says "Find what you love and let it kill you." To me that means (figuratively) something is going to kill you someday. Whether it's spending all your time at work, or chasing a dream, or being angry at the world, or watching sports until your couch swallows you whole. So whatever that is for you, make sure it's something you love. But Ludwig Minelli took it literally. If what he loved was his work, he sure did let it kill him. Bukowski would be proud. 

And it's not a bad little piece of publicity to give your employees on your way out the door. "Our owner believes in what we're doing so much that he killed himself" is a pretty good endorsement. Again... there's not a lot of companies who can say that with a straight face. 

P.S. In the BBC article, it says Minelli founded Dignitas after he split off from an older assisted suicide company.

Minelli founded Dignitas after splitting from the older Swiss assisted dying organisation, Exit, because he felt its rules were too restrictive. 

Jesus, guys... 'Exit' seems a little... direct. A little dark maybe. Dignitas is much better.