104-year-old scientist David Goodall ends life in Switzerland
Bern, May 10: David Goodall, a 104-year-old Australian scientist who had campaigned for the legalisation of assisted dying in his home country, ended his life at a Swiss clinic on Thursday, a representative from the pro-euthanasia group Exit International said.
Goodall, a respected botanist and ecologist, died at the Life Circle clinic in Basel, Switzerland, after administering a lethal drug under the guidance of doctors, ABC News Australia reported.
Exit International, which represented the scientist, said Goodall passed away while listening to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy".
Euthanasia is illegal in Australia, thought the state of Victoria is planning to allow assisted dying from mid-2019. Goodall's home state Perth is currently debating whether to introduce the policy.
The story of the academic, who is one of the first Australians to undertake the procedure due to old age rather than a terminal illness, attracted international headlines and further inflamed a highly divisive debate.
His supporters applauded his decision to take charge of his fate after declaring his life was no longer worth living.
But critics warned his decision solely on the grounds of old age set a "dangerous precedent".
The grandfather of 12 had attracted over $20,000 in donations from the public to help fund his journey to Europe from Australia earlier this month.
Earlier this week, Goodall said he resented having to travel so far to carry out his plan, but was relieved the end was near. "Life stopped being enjoyable five or 10 years ago," he said, in part because of his failing mobility and eyesight.
"I am glad to arrive (in Basel). I'll be even more pleased when further steps of my journey are completed. I have been able to say goodbye. I was a bit sorry to say goodbye to my family in Bordeaux but that's the way it was."
Goodall said he hoped his story would lead to the legalisation of assisted dying in other countries. "I'm looking forward to it," he said of his imminent death.
"What I would like is for other countries to follow Switzerland's lead and make these facilities available to all clients, if they meet the requirements, and the requirements not just of age, but of mental capacity."
Several US states have a form of physician-assisted suicide, as do countries including Japan, Belgium and Switzerland.
Born in London in 1914, just months before the outbreak of World War I, Goodall and his family moved to Australia when he was a child. He went on to hold academic positions across the world, including in the UK, the US and Australia.
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Quashing FIR of sexual assault, Delhi HC says some use provision to 'harass' men
New Delhi (PTI): The offence of rape is one of the most heinous crimes against women but some people use the legal provisions against it as a weapon to unnecessarily harass their male counterparts, the Delhi High Court has observed while quashing an FIR against a man.
The petitioner had moved the court, seeking to quash the FIR lodged against him for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman with whom he was earlier in a relationship. The high court noted that the FIR was nothing but an afterthought.
It said the recordings, WhatsApp chats and statements recorded before the magistrate clearly established that the ingredients of the offence of rape were not met as the man and the woman had consensually agreed to enter into a physical relationship, which was also not based on false promises of marriage.
"It is true that the provision under which the FIR has been lodged is one of the most heinous crimes against women. However, it is also an established fact that some people use it as a weapon to unnecessarily harass the male counterpart," Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said in a recent judgment.
The court said the case was a classic example of how an innocent person faced undue hardships due to the misuse of the penal provision and therefore, it was of the firm view that nothing would come out of the case if the matter was subjected to trial.
It observed that the courts were duty-bound to look into the possibility of the presence of an ulterior motive on the part of the prosecutrix to seek vengeance from the man.
The counsel for the man submitted that the petitioner and the complainant had been in a relationship earlier and had established physical relations with consent.
Due to some discord, the man and the complainant did not marry each other and later, a rape case was lodged against him, the counsel said.
However, the prosecutor opposed the quashing petition and said there were serious allegations against the petitioner and the complaint clearly establishes that he had sexually assaulted the woman.
Considering the material on record, the court noted that the woman was in constant touch with the petitioner and they both used to share details about their life on a daily basis and other personal details.
"It is not disputed by the petitioner that the parties had entered into a physical relationship, however, he claims the same to be consensual. It is also established from the statement recorded under section 164 of the CrPC of the prosecutrix that the parties had taken steps to get married, however, the families did not agree due to the caste factor," it noted.
The court further noted that despite the reservations from the man's family, he was ready to get married to the woman, but she did not show any interest later on and entered into a relationship with another person.
"The WhatsApp chats between the parties also show that the prosecutrix had sent several messages to the petitioner and conveyed information regarding her decision to get married to another person. Therefore, the instant FIR is nothing but an afterthought," it added.
