A well-known Austrian author has announced he plans to end his life by assisted suicide.
In an interview with two Austrian journalists published on September 2, Niki Glattauer said he was suffering from incurable cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer that affects the bile duct.
The 66-year-old former teacher announced that he would commit suicide on September 4 in his Vienna apartment by injecting himself with an overdose of a certain medical drug – under supervision of a doctor and a nurse.
“I would like to inform people that it is possible to die with dignity in a self-determined way in Austria if you are terminally ill,” Glattauer said in the interview.
“I have cancer and I do not have much time. I am not somebody who wants to live at any cost. And then I found out that you do not have to drive to Switzerland anymore for an assisted suicide but you can do it here in Austria, too.”
Glattauer detailed how a friend had put him in touch with a doctor from Innsbruck (Tyrol) who had explained the procedure to him and who would come to his apartment for the procedure.
He also spoke about meeting the legal requirements for assisted suicide in Austria. He had to consult two doctors who studied his diagnosis and made sure he wanted to die of his own accord and was not being pressured.
Then a public notary confirmed that he was eligible to end his own life with medical assistance.
Glattauer also explained how he had come to his decision: “I weighed up the pros and cons. I had a happy life; life was good to me. Now the serious illnesses are starting.
“And now cancer has been added to the mix. It could be removed, but then half of my intestines would be removed too, because the cancer is in the bile duct,” he said.
“Then I won’t be able to eat what I want, drink what I want, live how I want. I haven’t been able to move how I want for a year now. I don’t want to live like that.”
He added that he had taken the decision himself and had not let his children – aged 16 and 22 – or his ex-wife influence him in his wish to die: “My children didn’t try to talk me out of it. My son is very understanding and says: ‘Dad, I would probably do the same thing if I were you.’”
Glattauer also criticised Austria’s social system and said a lack of resources for his medical care played a role in his decision to die.
“We live very long lives, and many people are working to extend our lifespans. But at the same time, the resources needed to care for us are no longer available,” he said.
“We are thinking very short-term, but this will not work in the long run.”
Glattauer is an award-winning author of 12 books and a long-standing columnist for Austrian newspapers Kurier and Heute where he primarily commented on education issues. His younger brother Daniel Glattauer is also a prominent author.
Assisted suicide was legalised in Austria in 2022 following a supreme court decision that found the ban was too strict and violated the right to self-determination.
The new law allows assisted suicide under certain conditions. The person willing to die needs to suffer from a terminal or permanently debilitating illness. They need to choose “freely and self-determinedly” to end their life.
After an explanatory talk with two doctors they need to wait at least 12 weeks before they can move on with their plan.
No doctor, pharmacist or other medical practitioner can be ordered to take part in assisted suicides.
