Assisted dying
News and information about Switzerland's assisted dying rules and processes.
Britons criticise ‘rushed procedures’ at a Swiss assisted dying clinic
Every year, between 200 and 300 UK nationals come to Switzerland to die. Some of their families are accusing organisers of helping loved ones take their own lives even though if they don't have any serious medical reasons.
Which Swiss cantons allow assisted dying in care homes?
Switzerland has had an assisted suicide law on the books since 1942 — a constitutional right of each person to determine the manner of his or her death. But do elderly-care facilities also allow this practice on their premises?
Could Switzerland tighten its assisted suicide laws after Sarco investigation?
As a police investigation is launched into the use of the controversial assisted suicide capsule Sarco, we examine whether this case is likely to result in any change to Switzerland's laws on assisted dying.
What methods of assisted dying are legal in Switzerland?
Assisted suicide is allowed in Switzerland — under certain conditions. But the actual way of dying is currently at the centre of controversy.
Swiss police make arrests after American woman uses suicide 'pod'
Swiss police announced Tuesday that several people were taken into custody after the controversial Sarco suicide pod was used to end an American woman's life.
'I felt manipulated': Conflict prevents American woman from using Swiss 'death pod
Switzerland's controversial ‘suicide capsule’, Sarco, was supposed to be inaugurated on July 17th, but in the end it was cancelled. The prospective client - an American woman - explained the conflict behind the aborted ‘launch’.
First 'death pod' to be used in Switzerland soon
An assisted dying group expects a portable suicide pod to be used for the first time in Switzerland, potentially within months, providing death without medical supervision, it said Wednesday.
'Tesla of assisted suicide' to be used for first time in Switzerland
A new ‘death capsule’ known as the ‘Sarco pod’ will be used for the first time in Switzerland in the coming months.
Do Swiss cantons have different rules on assisted suicide?
Under Switzerland’s federalist structure, cantons have a far-reaching autonomy in deciding what happens on their territories. A few have their own rules on assisted suicide.
Reader question: Can foreigners access Switzerland’s assisted suicide clinics?
This is not a pleasant subject, but the fact remains that as Swiss ‘death with dignity’ legislation is the most liberal in Europe, a number of foreign nationals choose to die here. What rules must they follow?
What to know about Switzerland's latest court judgement on assisted suicide
Switzerland's highest court this week ruled that patients with mental illnesses can be eligible for assisted suicide even without a psychiatric report.
Switzerland: What is the difference between assisted suicide and euthanasia?
While the terms often are used interchangeably, assisted suicide and euthanasia - and the laws that govern them - are quite different. Here’s what you need to know.
What are Switzerland's new assisted suicide rules?
Swiss medical authorities have put in place new guidelines for the country's assisted suicide providers. Here's what you need to know.
EXPLAINED: How foreigners can access assisted dying in Switzerland
Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland. Despite concerns of suicide tourism, it can be accessed by foreigners.
What do Switzerland’s new assisted suicide rules mean for foreigners?
Changes to the guidelines for assisted suicide in Switzerland are likely to have an outsized impact on foreigners. Here’s why.
How were two healthy American sisters able to take their own lives in Switzerland?
An unresolved mystery is surrounding the death of two healthcare workers from the US state of Arizona who reportedly came to Switzerland for a vacation but never returned home. This is what the authorities say happened to them.
How do Switzerland's rules on assisted suicide compare across Europe?
As Austria sets out its plan for legalising assisting suicide from 2022 in response to a court ruling, we look at how this compares to other countries' legislation on euthanasia and assisted suicide - including that from Switzerland.
UPDATED: Slight increase in assisted suicides in Switzerland in 2020
There was a slight increase in assisted suicides in Switzerland in 2020.
What you need to know about assisted suicide in Switzerland
Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, despite being banned in many other countries. Here we take a look at the topic in more detail.
Assisted suicides on the rise in Switzerland
Year on year figures show a slight increase in euthanasia procedures in 2019, with over 1,450 people choosing to end their lives over the calendar year.
Will Switzerland allow assisted suicide for its prisoners?
A request by a convict behind bars for life is testing Switzerland's support for assisted suicide, raising complex questions over whether ill prisoners can seek help to end their own lives.
Assisted suicide: Wait list for new members of Switzerland's Exit
A shortage of volunteers means new members of Swiss assisted suicide organization Exit will have to wait to use its services.
Head of Swiss assisted suicide group Dignitas in court on profiteering charges
Just a week after 104-year-old Australian scientist David Goodall made international headlines by choosing to end his life in Switzerland using Swiss group Eternal Spirit, the founder of the assisted dying association Dignitas is appearing in a Zurich district court.