Swiss cantons permitting end-of-life aid in residential facilities
On February 7th, Zurich's authorities nixed a proposal by right-to-die activists to allow assisted dying in private nursing homes, as well as all medical facilities. While Zurich authorizes its municipalities to enact this practice in public nursing homes (at the patient's expense), they declined to compel privately-run care institutions to follow suit.
Similar scenarios play out in various cantons, but Zurich decides otherwise. In contrast to hospitals, which focus on maintaining and restoring health, retirement and nursing homes don't primarily treat individuals nearing the end of their lives, making the initiative too radical and against hospitals' duty to provide premium medical care.
Curiously, other cantons allow this practice in their respective care facilities. These cantons enjoy significant leeway to modify existing legislation, as long as it doesn't contradict federal rules. Patients must personally administer the suicide drug, and doctors cannot administer a lethal injection to avoid prosecution for euthanasia.
Patients must be alert, well-informed about their situation, consistently determined to end their lives, and not influenced by others.
Joining Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel, and Valais are a select few cantons that permit care facilities to cater to patients' wishes to end their lives. These laws originated from referendums where the majority approved these measures. Unlike Zurich, these cantons extend this right to patients in both public and private institutions.
If a patient in any of these cantons wishes to die, the request cannot be denied, and the law requires that steps be taken to make this possible within legality - for instance, by granting right-to-die groups access to the premises.
While Solothurn is rumored to consider allowing assisted dying in nursing homes (through an amendment), the specifics of its policies are not extensively documented. Consulting local government or health department resources is advisable for accurate and current information on each canton's policies regarding assisted dying in care facilities.
- Rickli, advocating for change in the policy-and-legislation surrounding assisted dying, faces opposition from Zurich authorities, who nixed a proposal that would allow the practice in private nursing homes and medical facilities.
- The science of health-and-wellness, including mental-health therapies-and-treatments, makes it essential for patients to be considered alert, well-informed about their situation, consistently determined, and not influenced by others before administering a suicide drug.
- In a stark contrast, other cantons, such as Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Valais, and some rumored to be considering it (like Solothurn), allow for patient autonomy in the matter of assisted dying in care facilities.
- These groundbreaking policies, usually originating from referendums where a majority approves, don't restrict the right to die only to public institutions; patients in private care facilities also have this choice.
- When it comes to hospitals, their primary focus is on maintaining and restoring health, and they may not consider assisted dying an appropriate practice due to the potential contradiction with their duty to provide premium medical care.
- It's crucial for the general news media to report on these regional variations in policy-and-legislation, especially topics like politics and health-and-wellness, to ensure the public stays informed about the latest developments concerning personal autonomy and end-of-life care in various cantons.
