March 17, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Dignitas euthanasia "clinic" has reopened its doors in a facility located next to Switzerland's largest brothel.
Dignitas, which has repeatedly made international headlines for its unapologetic mission to assist the ill from around the world to kill themselves, was evicted from its previous facility in September of last year after fellow tenants complained of the constant stream of dead bodies leaving the building.
Gloria Sonny, 53, a resident in the same building as Dignitas' old clinic, told the Telegraph at the time, "We call it the 'House of Horrors'."
"This is meant to be a residential flat but some days you'd think it was a morgue. The look in their eyes haunts me, particularly if they are young."
Kelvin Leneveu, who lived on the floor below Dignitas with his girlfriend and their four year-old son, told the Telegraph, "It's very creepy. The floors are thin and when we hear movements upstairs we know that means they're up there, and someone's going to die."
After its eviction Dignitas was forced to engage in a difficult search for replacement accommodations. At one point the organization even resorted to setting up a "suicidemobile". At least four people were euthanized in a vehicle used for the purpose, two of whom died at public car parks at Swiss "beauty spots", reports The Observer.
In a speech in London in December, Ludwig Minelli, Secretary-General of Dignitas, related the trouble his group had in finding real estate to run their lurid suicide service out of.
"Despite the fact that we started a very intensive search in order to find a new place, we were not successful for quite some time," he said. "Nobody was willing to accept us." Minelli said that at one point Dignitas had secured a flat about 15 miles from Zurich, "But shortly after accompaniments [suicides] took place in this flat, all the neighbours went into opposition and asked the local City council to interfere." The council responded by locking the flat, "stating that we would first have to apply for an official permission to change the use of the flat for our purposes."
The full extent of Minelli's dedication to the cause is revealed in the fact that he then offered his own living room for those who wished to commit suicide. However, the council of Minelli's village responded in the same way as the council of the previous town, banning Dignitas from operating in the area.
Events repeated themselves a third time, after Dignitas then moved to their current residence in the village of Schwerzenbach.
Karl Rütsche, a spokesman for Schwerzenbach village council, said that the village was not pleased that Dignitas set up shop in the area, especially given that the village already boast's the country's largest brothel, which offers its "services" to some 300 customers a day.
"Of course, as a council we tried to stop them moving here and we fought the Dignitas decision tooth and nail. We didn't want the country's biggest sex club and largest death factory side-by-side on our doorstep," he said.
In the end, however, the village council lost the fight and Dignitas was permitted to remain. "Having lost the battle to keep them away at least we can say that - on a positive note - everyone now knows where Schwerzenbach is," said Rütsche. "And as far as I know there have never been any complaints from any of the people living here, never mind a petition or protest action. Now they have settled in, I have to admit Dignitas seems to be a very professional company."
"As a resident," he said, "you don't really notice what is happening. We estimate about 200 people a year will kill themselves there, but we won't notice anything if we don't have to register the deaths. We don't have any hotels. I gather that isn't a problem because Dignitas's customers usually arrive on the day and go straight to the company's offices.
"The only problem ever is that Dignitas doesn't advertise its presence - and a lot of people get lost and have to ask for directions. But there are 300 customers a day going to the brothel, so there is always someone around to ask."
In his London speech, Minelli claimed that, as of last December, Dignitas had helped kill 800 people since its doors opened in 1998, approximately 85 of which persons were residents of the U.K.
At the time Minelli said that Dignitas' decision to allow people from out of country to make use of their suicide service was a straight-forward decision for him, since he considers the "right to die" to be the "last human right," and therefore he could not sanction "discrimination."
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Neighbor's Complaints Succeed in Evicting Dignitas from Residence
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jul/07071705.html
Neighbors Complain Swiss Euthanasia 'Clinic' Parade of Dead Bodies Disturbing
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/06060807.html
Mentally Ill have a Right to Assisted Suicide-Swiss High Court
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/feb/07020206.html
Switzerland Refuses to Alter Assisted Suicide Law to Nix Death Tourism
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/06060210.html
Swiss Lure Suicide Victims: Euthanasia Administered Within 24 Hours
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/may/04052509.html
Inquest Opens into Couple's Double Suicide Death at Swiss Dignitas Facility
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jun/04062210.html
Swiss Euthanasia-Providing Group Branches Out to Germany
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/oct/05100506.html
Neighbors Complain Swiss Euthanasia 'Clinic' Parade of Dead Bodies Disturbing
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/06060807.html
