by Urs Geiser, swissinfo.ch
The government will not introduce specific regulations on organised assisted suicide, but will extend measures to boost palliative care and suicide prevention.
The decision is the latest step in a drawn-out public controversy over current regulations on the right to die and so-called ‘suicide tourism’ – people travelling to Switzerland to end their lives.
Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said the cabinet was convinced that abuses of the system could be tackled under the existing legislation.
“Revising the current legislation could give an official stamp of approval to organisations offering their services for assisted suicide,” Sommaruga told a news conference on Wednesday.
She added that the decision did not mean that authorities were abandoning controls designed to ensure the strict regulations are observed.
Sommaruga said the proposed set of measures to increase suicide prevention and palliative care was aimed at “strengthening the right of self-determination for people until one’s dying day”.
It is up to the cantonal authorities to ensure that the current legislation is strictly observed, said Sommaruga.
Categories: Europe, Switzerland