An 85-Year-Old Italian woman, in good health, paid around $15,000 for an assisted suicide at a clinic in Switzerland because she was upset that her looks were fading.
Oriella Cazzanello disappeared from her home town of Arzignano in northern Italy without informing friends or relatives where she was going. The following day she turned up at a well-known assisted suicide clinic in Basel, Switzerland.
Disturbingly, her family only found out that she had died when they received her ashes and a death certificate from the clinic.
The Italian news agency ANSA reported that Mrs Cazzanello chose to end her life due to the fact that she was: “weighed down by ageing and the inevitable loss of the looks of which she was proud.”
Even though Cazzanello’s relatives hadn’t heard from her since the end of January, they were not concerned about her well-being since she was physically and mentally sound.
As days passed without any contact from her, the family grew concerned and notified police of her disappearance. Cazzanello’s lawyer was the one to receive her ashes and thus was tasked with breaking the sad news to the family .
In Switzerland assisted suicide is legal even if the person requesting it is not terminally ill. Although legal in Switzerland, assisted suicide is still a criminal offence in most countries.
A revealing study published by the University of Bern found that 16% of people who visit suicide clinics in Switzerland had no serious health problems and had simply grown, “ weary of life .”
What is your opinion of Oriella Cazzanello’s decision to end her life due to her fading looks? Do you believe people have the right to decide whether they want to live into old age or not? Share your thoughts on this matter in the comments feed provided below.
