Last
year Dignitas helped 50 people die, 39 of them foreigners
Dignitas, one of four organisations offering assisted suicide
in Switzerland, has come under fire for offering its services
to foreigners and the mentally ill. The group was recently thrust
into the media spotlight following a British television report.
Since then, the Zurich authorities have voiced their anxiety
that Switzerland might become a centre for people wishing to
take their own lives.
Like its counterparts, the Zurich-based Dignitas takes advantage
of Switzerland's liberal laws on assisted suicide, which stipulate
that a person can only be prosecuted if they are acting out
of self-interest.
But Dignitas is the only group offering its services to foreigners,
who seek help in Switzerland because assisted suicide is illegal
in their home countries.
Most of the people who have used the group's services have been
terminally ill, but controversially some have been suffering
from mental illnesses.
Dignitas says that it simply aims to give everybody the chance
to die with dignity.
Ludwig Minelli, the group's secretary general, believes that
people should have the right to choose how and when they die.
"I am glad that we can offer such a possibility here in Switzerland,"
he told swissinfo. "Because we see how awful the situation of
these people can be and that death can be a friend of a human
being."
The group provides an introduction to a doctor who can supply
the necessary drugs - barbiturates - on condition that the patient
has made a rational decision to end his or her life, and even
supplies an apartment in Zurich where the patient can go to
take their fatal dose.
Afterwards, the Zurich authorities are informed, so that an
autopsy can be carried out, as is the case with all suicides
in Switzerland.
Last year, Dignitas helped 50 people die, 39 of whom were foreigners
from countries including Germany, France, Greece and Israel.
And following a recent BBC documentary on Dignitas, the group
was contacted by 40 more foreigners all interested in finding
out more about assisted suicide.
Such international attention has not pleased the Zurich authorities,
who are worried that Switzerland might gain a reputation as
a centre for "death tourism".
Andreas Brunner, the Zurich public prosecutor, says he is concerned
about the international repercussions of Dignitas's activities.
"If you have countries who don't want this because, above all,
this is an ethical question and foreigners then come to Switzerland
for an assisted suicide, it could cause us some problems," he
said.
"It's really my personal opinion that if this continues, Switzerland
could become a suicide Switzerland."
Minelli strenuously denies Brunner's charges and is emphatic
that anyone who wants or needs help be allowed to use Dignitas's
services.
"If Switzerland has such a liberal system, we should grant help
not only to Swiss people but also foreign people," he explained.
"Anything else would be discrimination of foreigners."
"It is totally and ethically wrong to offer suicide to these
[mentally ill] patients."
-Thomas Schläpfer, pyschiatrist at Bern University Hospital
Mentally ill patients
But Dignitas hasn't only come under fire for helping foreigners;
it has also caused controversy by offering to help those who
suffer from mental illnesses such as severe depression or schizophrenia.
Last year it helped four people with psychiatric problems to
take their own lives.
The controversy stems from the fact that critics, among them
doctors, say that mentally ill patients are not capable of taking
a rational decision, as required by law, to end their lives.
This is a view shared by Thomas Schläpfer, a psychiatrist at
Bern University Hospital and John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
"It's part of the depressive symptoms that people want to commit
suicide, that they don't have any outlook on life.
"But this is not a reasonable decision, it's a biased outlook
stemming from the disease itself," he told Swissinfo. "And since
the disease is treatable, it is totally and ethically wrong
to offer suicide to these patients."
Legalising euthanasia
Minelli argues that mentally ill patients can and should be
able to take such decisions.
He backs up his argument with the fact that the Belgian parliament
recently voted in favour of legalising euthanasia for patients
who suffer from constant and unbearable physical or psychological
pain, resulting from an accident or incurable illness.
But critics argue that this argument is weak at best since some
forms of mental illness can be cured or at least treated.
Despite the controversy surrounding the group, however, Minelli
points out that Dignitas has never fallen foul of the law. And
even the Zurich authorities admit that they have been unable
to establish any legal grounds on which to shut it down.
Until they do, the group has vowed to continue providing its
services to anyone who wishes to die with dignity.
Key Facts
- The Netherlands and Belgium are the only other countries where
laws permit euthanasia or assisted suicide.
- In Switzerland a person can only be prosecuted for an assisted
suicide if they are acting out of self-interest.
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