‘It tore me up’: David Goodall’s daughter recalls impossible decision before he died

The daughter of euthanasia advocate David Goodall, who ended his own life in Switzerland last year, has spoken out and revealed while she’s proud of her father and his bravery, she still struggles with the fact she couldn’t be by his side when he died.

Australian scientist Goodall died in May last year after flying to Switzerland to end his life on his own terms. Although he wasn’t sick, he made clear that at the ripe age of 104, he had lived long enough and wanted to die his own way without the suffering that so often comes at the end.

Now speaking to the ABC more than a year on, his daughter Karen Goodall-Smith has opened up about the emotional experience and the impossible decision over whether to travel with him or not. “I was on tenterhooks and stressed the whole day. It was really hard,” she said. “I would have liked to have been with him, but I couldn’t handle going all the way over there to Switzerland for that purpose,” she continued. “It tore me up just thinking about it.”

Goodall, who had no terminal illness but had said that he felt he had lived longer than he wished, tried to take his own life at least three times before seeking pro-euthanasia group Exit International’s practical assistance. The group went on to successfully raise enough funds through donations for him to travel business-class.

His daughter also revealed the final weeks leading up to his death weren’t easy as they were largely taken up with having to speak to the whole family about his decision and organising the logistics such as his travel arrangements.

“Although we did spend some good and special time together … it took away from that because there was always that pressure of dealing with the logistics,” she told the ABC. “If he had been eligible [for an assisted death] here in WA, it would have been a much gentler process.”

Western Australia is in the process of passing a law to make voluntary euthanasia legal, but Premier Mark McGowan recently confirmed it would only apply to people who are terminally ill. Victoria voted to make euthanasia legal last year, but it is also only available to those who are terminally ill.

There are strict stipulations though and anyone who wishes to apply must be a Victorian resident, be aged 18 and over and have been assessed by two doctors to have a terminal illness with intolerable pain that will likely cause death within six months . However, in the case of neurodegenerative conditions such as motor neurone disease, the timeframe is extended to 12 months.

Applications must also be signed by two witnesses and, in a bid to avoid elderly patients being pressured, anyone named as a beneficiary of the person is not permitted to act as a witness.

Meanwhile, it comes after Philip Nitschke, aka ‘Dr Death’, made a passionate call last month for voluntary assisted dying to be legalised in Queensland, citing some of the Goodall’s final moving words to plead his point. Presenting his case, Nitschke called for Queensland to abandon Victoria’s lead and instead follow Switzerland – where he insisted voluntary euthanasia isn’t seen as a privilege for the sick, but a “fundamental right”.

“The Swiss model does not see assistance to die as a medical privilege for those sick enough to qualify, but rather as a fundamental right,” he said. “This was made clear last year by 104 yr old David Goodall who was forced to travel to Switzerland for the peaceful elective death he saw as his right.

“He refused to play the sick role, instead arguing that surely at his age he’d earned the right to have assistance to die. His only lawful option though was to travel to Switzerland. None of the models of legislative change so far proposed for Australia will address the needs of people like Prof Goodall. Now Qld has the opportunity to correct this.”

If you feel depressed or need to talk to someone, Lifeline is available 24 hours a day on 13 11 14 or at lifeline.org.au. You can also call the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.