SWISS HOSPITAL TO LEND SUICIDES A HAND
And in Switzerland, a university hospital will begin offering its wards for assisted suicides, provided that the person is of sound mind and incurably ill. Until now, Swiss hospitals had refused to cooperate with the suicide organisations which have flourished there. But after two years of debate and consultation, the University of Lausanne has opened its doors. “We are not trying to encourage suicide,” says the hospital’s legal and ethical director, Alberto Crespo. ” But at the same time, as a hospital, we have to respect the wishes of someone who wants to die. We can’t be paternalistic. We can’t decide for a person what they should do. It is up to the person to decide whether they want to live or not.”
Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.
Latest posts by Michael Cook (see all)
- How long can you put off seeing the doctor because of lockdowns? - December 3, 2021
- House of Lords debates assisted suicide—again - October 28, 2021
- Spanish government tries to restrict conscientious objection - October 28, 2021
More Stories
Commercial surrogacy hammered in Rome
Momentum in growing in Europe for a global ban on surrogacy. Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni has blasted surrogacy as...
Canadian man wins right to a government-funded ‘penile-preserving vaginoplasty’
An Ontario man has won the right to government-funded gender-affirming surgery in the United States which will give him both...
14-year-olds will be able to change their gender legally in Germany
German lawmakers have made it easier for transgender, intersex and non-binary people to change their official gender. A controversial Self-Determination...
Gaza’s IVF embryos have been destroyed by Israeli bombs
One of the many casualties of the war in Gaza has been the embryos and gametes stored at the Al-Basma IVF...
UK doctors fear toxic abuse over their research on trans issues
Fallout from the Cass review of transgender medical treatment in the UK continues. The Guardian interviewed doctors and researchers who...
Utah’s new stem cell law undermines FDA’s authority
The state of Utah has just enacted a law permitting patients to receive medical treatments using placental stem cells without formal approval...
