South Africa's extraordinary Constitution has secured many freedoms since the advent of democracy, yet access to medical assistance in dying (MAiD) for those in intolerable suffering remains elusive. On the 9th of April 2026, DignitySA lodged a constitutional challenge to change this but it will take many years for this to move through our courts. We need your help to sustain our advocacy campaign and fund our legal costs over the next five years at least.
On April 9, 2026, DignitySA took a historic stand by lodging a constitutional challenge to legalize Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). But filing the paperwork was just the opening salvo. Constitutional litigation in South Africa is notoriously slow and immensely expensive and without sustained funding over the next five years, our legal challenge risks stalling in the courts, leaving thousands of suffering South Africans without a voice and delaying justice for another generation.
To prevent this historic challenge from stalling in the courts, this project funds a dual-track strategy over the next five years: 1) Ensuring that our legal team has the financial resources needed to meet the state's resistance. Funding is required for ongoing legal research, document preparation and representation in the courts. 2) Enabling a nationwide advocacy campaign so that when the court rules in our favor, a well-informed public is ready to shape and demand safe, swift legislation.
As a leader on the African continent, a successful constitutional challenge in South Africa will set a powerful legal precedent that could influence human rights frameworks across the region. The long-term impact of sustaining this multi-year campaign will be the realisation of a landmark piece of legislation that proves a developing nation can build a deeply compassionate, highly regulated, and rights-respecting end-of-life care system that will touch the lives, and deaths, of millions.
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