Woman Goes To Switzerland For Medically Assisted Dying And Revenge

(PatriotWise.com) — An American woman who committed suicide in Switzerland in 2023 allegedly did so as a way to seek revenge on her estranged husband.

New York resident Catherine Kassenhoff announced in a May 2023 Facebook post that she would be ending her life in a Swiss clinic because her husband treated her “abominably.”

Kassenhoff, who lost custody of her children, said it was her final Facebook post before she ended her life “in a dignified and idyllic setting in Europe.” She claimed that she had no options left but assisted suicide.

The 54-year-old Westchester resident accused her ex-husband Allan Kassenoff of abusing both her and their three children, which was why she decided to kill herself after she discovered that she had terminal cancer.

However, a recent profile of the Kassenhoff case shed new light on her claims, suggesting that Catherine Kassenhoff may not have been the victim she portrayed herself to be.

Former nannies who worked for the Kassenhoffs claimed that Catherine abused the couple’s adopted daughter, including keeping her awake by dripping water on her head. The nannies said Catherine treated her two biological daughters much better than the adopted child.

Before her assisted suicide, Catherine was assessed by a psychiatrist.

In his written assessment submitted to the Pegasos Swiss Association, Dr. Colin Brewer concluded that Catherine was in enough sound mind to go through with assisted suicide.

The Pegasos Swiss Association helps those who seek to kill themselves, even if they are not suffering a terminal illness or chronic pain.

According to Dr. Brewer’s report, Catherine sought to kill herself twice before. In October 2022, she planned to undergo assisted suicide, but the procedure was postponed.

Dr. Brewer said Catherine’s cancer diagnosis was not the reason she sought to end her life. Instead, he described her reasons as “existential,” explaining that she was concerned about how her estranged husband treated her.

Brewer concluded that Catherine’s desire to kill herself was prompted by an “understandable misery.”