Group to push for ‘dignified death’

The DignitySA organisation is pressing full steam ahead with a plan to lobby government and South African courts to give terminally ill citizens the right to end their own lives and prevent their unbearable suffering.

The organisation will soon approach the ministers for Health, Justice and Constitutional Development, and Social Welfare and the respective parliamentary committees, to review a Law Commission Report and to reconsider in the light of recent developments both nationally and globally, those rights to personal dignity which would bring untold relief to untold numbers of citizens who are terminally ill.

DignitySA will also initiate a court case as the organisation has been approached by several citizens who feel their constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human rights won’t be respected, protected and promoted and that they will die without dignity.

The lobby group will collaborate with attorneys, counsel and senior counsel, who are offering their services pro bono, to bring a case to the high court in the first quarter of next year.

“This is a matter which concerns all South Africans, whatever their age, race, gender or religion; on this basis DignitySA will endeavour to support a representative group of applicants,” said Dr Helena Dolny.

She said that last weekend the group had met a panel of lawyers and other experts to plan the way forward.

“It is ironic that it was under Madiba’s tenure, as our first democratic president, that a South African Law Commission was appointed to look into issues pertaining to dying well.”

- Pretoria News Weekend