Country Correspondent: Lars Hemkens
More Swiss people than ever are seeking medical assistance to end their lives, according to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. In 2015, 965 people sought assistance to die compared with just 742 in the previous year and only 86 people in 2000. The vast majority of people seeking assisted suicide were above the age of 65. In Switzerland, health care professionals who help with assisted suicides do so on a volunteer, unpaid basis, since it is illegal for medical professionals to benefit financially from a person’s death.
- Schweizer Senioren wollen ihren Tod selber bestimmen
- Causes of death in 2015 (available in French, German, and Italian)
- Assisted suicide increasingly popular in Switzerland