The people of Zurich have voted to continue to allow assisted suicide for non-residents despite a campaign to restrict so-called suicide tourism.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
A proposal to restrict access for foreigners to assisted suicide only to those living at least one year in the canton was rejected by 78.4 per cent of voters.
A second popular initiative launched by fringe conservative parties the Federal Democratic Union and the Evangelical Party seeking a national ban on assisted suicide was rejected by an ever greater majority.
The main rightwing and leftwing parties had campaigned against both initiatives, calling on their supporters to vote against them. About 200 people commit assisted suicide each year in Zurich.
Under Swiss law it is legal to assist a person to commit suicide as long as the helper has no vested interest in the death. Assistance can only take a passive form, for example it is legal to procure lethal medication for another person but not to administer it.
Dignitas, the only Swiss association that helps applicants from abroad commit suicide, accompanied 1,138 people in taking their own lives in 2010. Of these cases, 592 came from Germany, 118 from Switzerland, 102 from France, 19 from Italy, 18 from the United States and 16 from Spain.
Most Read Swiss Abroad
More
Why cars still reign supreme in ‘rail-nation’ Switzerland
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Zurich set for vote on assisted suicide
This content was published on
The slogans are punchy and powerful: “Freedom at the end!” on one side against “Save life!” on the other. They belong to opposing campaigns ahead of the cantonal vote on Sunday, when voters will have a say on two people’s initiatives: one calling for a ban on assisted suicide in Switzerland, the other for it…
This content was published on
But a Zurich University survey into public attitudes on these issues – the first of its kind in the country – also found a lack of support for “death tourism” where foreigners come to Switzerland to end their lives. The results of the poll of around 1,500 people, which was published by the university’s Criminology…
This content was published on
The issues of gun suicide and Switzerland’s high rate of weapon ownership came under the spotlight again in January. The police chief overseeing security at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos turned his service revolver against himself a day before the event began. His case is hardly unique. From 1996 to…
This content was published on
Frank Petermann, an expert in medical law in St Gallen, tells swissinfo.ch that the planned regulations go against human rights and will fail to prevent people from travelling to Switzerland to die. Right-to-die organisations have also been quick to dismiss the government plans as outdated and patronising. Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf presented two draft bills…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.