Philosopher and poet brother of singer Marina Lima died by assisted suicide in Switzerland, where the procedure has been legal since the 1940s

Antonio Cícero was accompanied by his partner Marcelo Fies, who is expected to bring the writer’s ashes to Brazil this Thursday (24).

In recent years, the writer was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and complained in a letter that he was ashamed of meeting his friends and not recognizing them.

Allowed in Switzerland, the method consists of ending one’s own life, generally by ingesting lethal medications, with medical supervision.

‘That was his decision, and it was important for him that she be known’, said an employee of Jean-Luc Godard, one of the greatest directors of contemporary cinema, who died at the age of 91, in September 2022, of assisted suicide.

Star Alain Delon also expressed his desire to commit assisted suicide before dying at the age of 88. The family has not confirmed whether the procedure was carried out, but says they respected his decision.

Delon, known for cinema classics, defended euthanasia as something logical and natural to put an end to the conditions in which he lived after suffering several health problems, having undergone heart surgery in recent years, and suffering a stroke.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide are topics considered taboo in countries like Brazil, with strong moral and religious issues.

Euthanasia, orthothanasia and dysthanasia

In Switzerland, only assisted suicide is permitted, but a doctor is not required to provide assistance for the procedure.

In some countries, euthanasia is also permitted. The procedure consists of the intentional act of providing the patient with a quick and painless death to alleviate the suffering caused by an incurable disease, through lethal injections, turning off devices, among others. The patient desires euthanasia (when conscious) or there is authorization from a legal representative.

Lawyer in Medical Law and Bioethics, Camila Vasconcelos explains that the basic difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide lies in who carries out the conduct. “In this second, the person who causes the death event to happen is the patient himself. He is also accompanied and assisted, in general, by health professionals. In the first case, professionals are responsible for the act.”

The lawyer reinforces, however, that in Brazil both practices are considered crimes. According to our Penal Code, euthanasia falls under article 121 as simple homicide and assisted suicide is a crime against life, according to article 122.

President of the Bahia Regional of the Brazilian Society of Bioethics, Camila Vasconcelos says it is very important to start discussing this type of topic in the country, beyond universities, “as it favors the exercise of people’s freedom, guaranteed in the Brazilian Constitution”. First, however, she says it is necessary to know concepts such as orthothanasia and dysthanasia.

“Orthothanasia is death at the right time, when there is no other alternative, as all possible health treatments have already been used. In this case, unnecessary treatment measures are suspended, which do not cause any reversibility of the condition or assistance to the patient, and all care for the patient is maintained”, he explains.

“Dysthanasia is the opposite, as it consists of the continuation of useless and often invasive treatment measures”, he states. “The synonym for dysthanasia is therapeutic obstinacy, which is even considered a kind of torture, it is unnecessary, everything that is done brings no benefits”, explains Camila.

According to the lawyer, Brazilian society still experiences a situation of complete perception of the use of medicine at any cost, on the basis of ‘do what you can’. “But ‘whatever you can’ goes beyond what is reasonable. So, today, we are discussing, above all, the need to better establish orthothanasia, which is legal, possible (there is a resolution from the Federal Council of Medicine just about it), so that we do not need to perform dysthanasia”.

Around here, while none of the topics (assisted suicide, euthanasia, orthothanasia) are widely discussed in the public sphere (talking about suicide is still considered taboo in our society), we are seeing more and more cases of this type, especially among the elderly. And since we are in Yellow September, suicide prevention month, shall we talk about it?

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that approximately 800,000 people take their own lives every year around the world. In Brazil, in 2019, there were more than 14,500. Also according to the WHO, the elderly are the population group most at risk. In 2017, the Ministry of Health published the last report on the subject. The data indicates that, while the general suicide rate among Brazilians is 5.8 per 100,000 inhabitants, among people over 70 years of age it rises to 8.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. Even with the alarming numbers, this phenomenon still receives little attention from researchers, the media and public health authorities.

In recent years, we have been saddened by the deaths of actors Flávio Migliaccio, 85, and Walmor Chagas, 82, who committed suicide. Recognized and celebrated artists, they had in common the fact that they were old and facing health and mental problems. But, despite being moved by the news, do we stop to think about its causes?

According to psychologist Ana Bárbara Neves, studies show that suicide among elderly people is related to factors such as social isolation, depression and illness. “Aging is a time marked by a lot of prejudice. According to the Global Report on Ageism, discrimination against older people is associated with a decrease in life expectancy, physical and mental health, greater social isolation, and may increase rates of violence and abuse against this segment of the population”, explains .

Ageism or ageism is prejudice against old age. Gerontologist Graça Senna reinforces that elderly people are viewed with many reservations among younger people: “Old age is not well accepted, it is still associated with illness, disability, lack of productivity, and this leaves many elderly people on the social margins. Society needs to understand that we are in a country that is no longer made up of young people, but of older people”, he warns.

For her, it is increasingly necessary to see old age as something natural: “My advice is to accept this aging process and take care of yourself. Take care of physical, mental, social and spiritual health. The first step is to accept that we are old, who is already old; and those who are not in the state of old age, understand that we are going to grow old. This is a reality. Only those who die don’t get old.”

It is worth mentioning that CVV – Centro de Valorização da Vida – provides emotional support and suicide prevention, voluntarily and free of charge serving people of all ages who want and need to talk, under complete confidentiality, by phone (188), email and chat , 24 hours, every day. For more information, the internet link is cvv.org.br.