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Kessler Twins, 89, Choose Assisted Death in Germany After Legal and Medical Reviews

According to Dghs, they initiated the lethal infusion themselves under professional supervision at home, with police opening a routine review.

Overview

  • Alice and Ellen Kessler were found dead on November 17 at their adjoining apartments in Grünwald near Munich, with police reporting no indication of third‑party involvement.
  • The end‑of‑life group Dghs says the sisters completed a multistep protocol that included a lawyer’s interview, medical evaluation, a saline test run, and then self‑activation of the infusion in the presence of a doctor and a lawyer.
  • German law allows assisted suicide under strict conditions requiring adult capacity, voluntariness and that the final act be performed by the individual, while active euthanasia remains illegal.
  • Signs of advance planning included a subscription cancellation letter corrected by hand to take effect on 17.11.2025, the day of their deaths, reported by the Bavarian daily Abendzeitung.
  • The twins had long stated they wished to be interred in a single urn alongside their mother and dog and to leave their assets to Médecins Sans Frontières, and their case has renewed end‑of‑life debate in Germany and Italy.