SUICIDE ASSISTANCE FOR MENTALLY DISORDERED INDIVIDUALS IN SWITZERLAND AND THE STATE'S POSITIVE OBLIGATION TO FACILITATE DIGNIFIED SUICIDE

摘要

In principle, any individual in Switzerland may assist the suicide of another, provided that the assistance is not selfishly motivated. Moreover, the lawfulness of suicide assistance is not contingent on any particular status of the individual who dies (for example, whether he is terminally ill), although he must have capacity in order for the final act to be considered suicide. However, no great variation among assis-tors and the assisted is observable in Switzerland: in almost all cases, assisted suicide takes place with the involvement of a physician and a 'right to die' organisation, and the individual who dies suffers from a recognised medical condition.