Aide au suicide

L’évolution de l’assistance au suicide en Suisse

Les cas augmentent, les raisons varient

En Suisse, l’aide au suicide est autorisée. Depuis quelques années, les cas se multiplient considérablement, avant tout chez les femmes et les personnes âgées. Les questions de dignité et d’autodétermination sont largement débattues et jouent un rôle essentiel. Jusqu’à la fin, écrit l’auteure.

Time-trends in assisted and unassisted suicides completed with different methods: Swiss National Cohort

The number of suicides assisted by right-todie associations has increased in recent years in Switzerland. The aim of the study was to compare time trends inrates of assisted and unassisted suicide from 1991–2008.

Suicide tourism: a pilot study on the Swiss phenomenon

While assisted suicide (AS) is strictly restricted in many countries, it is not clearly regulated by law in Switzerland. This imbalance leads to an influx of people — «suicide tourists» — coming to Switzerland, mainly to the Canton of Zurich, for the sole purpose of committing suicide. Political debate regarding «suicide tourism» is taking place in many countries. Swiss medicolegal experts are confronted with these cases almost daily, which prompted this scientific investigation of the phenomenon.

Suicide assisted by right-to-die associations:

a population based cohort study

Background: In Switzerland, assisted suicide is legal but there is concern that vulnerable or disadvantaged groups are more likely to die in this way than other people. The study examined socio-economic factors associated with assisted suicide.

Methods: The study linked the suicides assisted by right-to-die associations during 2003–08 to a census-based longitudinal study of the Swiss population. It used Cox and logistic regression models to examine associations with gender, age, marital status, education, religion, type of household, urbanization, neighbourhood socio-economic position and other variables. Separate analyses were done for younger (25 to 64 years) and older (65 to 94 years) people.

Suizidhilfe – (k)eine ärztliche Aufgabe?

Bericht von der Podiumsdiskussion der Schweizerischen Ärztezeitung vom 27. November 2012 in Basel

In den vergangenen Monaten veröffentlichte die Schweizerische Ärztezeitung mehrere Artikel, die sich zu den medizinisch-ethischen Richtlinien der Schweizerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften aus dem Jahr 2004 äusserten, wonach «die Beihilfe zum Suizid nicht Teil der ärztlichen Tätigkeit [ist], weil sie den Zielen der Medizin widerspricht». Darüber, ob diese Richtlinien noch zeitgemäss seien, fand Ende November bei einem SÄZ-Podium eine engagierte und differenzierte Debatte statt.