Strange Doctor wishes... to die

Many people wish to live a long life, but Dr. David Goodall (Australia) is different. At the age of 104, the world's leading scholar only wishes to pass away peacefully."I regret living to this age," Dr Goodall confided. "I wanted to end it 20-30 years ago."

According toABCDr Goodall has spent much of his life fighting for the right to euthanasia in Western Australia. "Citizenship must include the right to decide how you die," he asserted. "When you reach middle age, you have paid your debt to society and you should have full control over how you spend your life. If a person wants to die, let them die, and no one should interfere."

In recent years, Dr Goodall’s health has declined rapidly. At 90, he gave up tennis because of his poor health. His eyesight became so bad that he had to leave his long-time Perth amateur performance group. His research was also interrupted because he could no longer read emails. Most of his friends have died.

A few months ago, Goodall fell in his apartment. No one heard his cries for help, and he lay on the floor for two days until his housekeeper found him. Since then, doctors have ordered Goodall not to use public transportation or cross the street by himself. "I was very disappointed," the doctor said.

In Western Australia, reports show that more than 50% of suicides are in people over 60, most of them men. In 2017, Victoria became the first state in Australia to recognize the right to die with dignity, but Dr Goodall was not eligible because he had no chronic health conditions. Although frail and nearly blind, he was in relatively good health.

Speaking of death, Dr Goodall is not afraid or sad. "Why should it make me sad?" he said. "It's not a bad thing, it's a natural thing. You live a few decades and then you die, there's nothing sad about it. Sad is when you're prevented."

Karen Goodall-Smith, Dr. Goodall's daughter, is a clinical psychologist who has had frank discussions with her father about life and death."I was close to my father so I didn't want that," she confided. "However, I also understood that living dependent on others takes away dignity and self-respect. The doors were gradually closing on my father. He was trapped and lost control of his life, body, and eyesight. He had lived well for the past 104 years. What happens next and what he chooses depends on him."

Currently, Mrs. Karen and her family take turns caring for Dr. Goodall because they do not want him to go to a nursing home. At the end of the party, when asked if he had a happy birthday, the scholar replied briefly: "No. I'm not happy. I want to die."