Swiss Government and 'Suicide Tourism': Battle Looming

Description:

This TIME Magazine report reviews the situation around the Swiss government's plans to put a more restrictive legal framework around assisted suicide. Bernhard Sutter, a board member of EXIT, says: "This goes against the human right of self-determination - a principle that has been an integral part of the Swiss mentality for the past 700 years." Sutter says that the organization, which has 70,000 members, not only obeys the law, but also follows its own stringent guidelines, such as the detailed examination of a candidate's medical records, in-depth interviews and compulsory counseling about alternatives to suicide. Vincent Minelli, director of the Zurich-based assisted-suicide group Dignitas, says that "if a new law is passed, the only thing it would accomplish is an increase in clandestine deaths and in the number of suicides in general."

"We will do all we can to combat this attempt at taking away our freedom," EXIT president Sobel vows. "If need be, we'll force a nationwide referendum." Reporter Helena Bach explains that 50,000 signatures can force a referendum, and that public support for assisted suicide is at 75%.

[Note: Some other recent stories related to this topic are in the Links: section below.]

Links:

To read the full article click on one of these links, both of which go to the same destination. A short link is provided for the convenience of readers. Also, readers may search and browse past advisories on the web (see bottom.)

  • http://tinyurl.com/yfp8a7a

  • http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1939686,00.html

    Also see:

  • One-Way Ticket [Time]
    http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,361596,00.html

    Reporter Helena Bach describes the Dignitas operation: "Dignitas rents an apartment in the city where clients self-administer a fatal dose of barbiturates and slowly fade away while listening to their favorite music. 'These people are like the ones who jumped from the World Trade Center on Sept. 11,' says Ludwig Minelli, Dignitas' director. 'They want to be spared terrible pain and suffering. Helping them is a very humane thing.'"

  • Swiss groups offering assisted suicide are facing tighter legal regulations [EuthaNEWSia, Oct. 30]
    http://www.euthanewsia.ca/archive/2009/10/enid200910302772.4.html

    The Swiss federal cabinet has put forward two draft bills concerning organized euthanasia: one would tighten regulations to reduce the number of assisted suicides, and the other would ban assisted suicides. There will now be a four month period of consultation before cabinet decides on the final proposal to parliament.

Source:

Bachmann, Helena. "Swiss Government Tries to Stop Influx of 'Suicide Tourists'". TIME. Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. <www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1939686,00.html>. Time Inc., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, U.S.A.

Tags:

Tags (or keywords) briefly indicate some major topics of the report.

  • assisted suicide

  • Exit

  • Dignitas

  • legislation

  • Switzerland

ID:

The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid200911161436.
Mailed: Monday, November 16, 2009 14:22:42 -0600
at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Etcetera:

EuthaNEWSia is a free Canadian news advisory service covering end-of-life issues such as right to die, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. EuthaNEWSia is produced by the Right to Die Society of Canada which works toward a good death for all, including open, regulated and equitable access to euthanasia and assisted suicide. The editor is Michael Dawson <editor@euthanewsia.ca>. 

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