Dignitas has just released its Review of 2024 and its outlook for 2025.
In 2024 it provided a total of 280 assisted suicides. Of these, 20% were from the USA, 20% were French, 13% were British, 12% were from Israel and 8% were from Italy. The rest were from 32 other countries including Switzerland itself. The total was their highest number since the Launch of Dignitas in 1998 and was 30 higher than in 2023.
At the end of 2024, Dignitas had 14,996 members. Membership fees represent the major part of the centre’s activities. It is notable that fewer than 3% of all members ever choose to make use of an assisted suicide. Most join for the reassurance that membership can provide and also because they agree with Dignitas’s worldwide campaigns in favour of Assisted Dying.
“Dignitas – To live with dignity – To die with dignity” (abbreviated as “DIGNITAS”) is a non-profit membership association. It employs 37 people. Quite deliberately, all are part time. With almost 15,000 members and a minimum annual subscription of 80 Swiss Francs, its annual membership income is approximately 1.2 million CHF – approximately $1 million. It also receives substantial donations and bequests of almost the same amount. In addition, of course, it needs to charge fees for its operational VAD work and for the professional support services that they require.
Dignitas appreciates that the burden of its VAD costs will be very heavy for many of its members and it is prepared to make reductions in some deserving circumstances.
In the view of this website, www.theswitzerlandalternative.com, it is unlikely that the current Bill going through the UK Parliament will have any effect upon the numbers travelling each year from Britain to Dignitas.
