Dignitas boss shrugs it off

In a twist on the old adage that you can’t escape death and taxes, the
Swiss are to vote on a “death tax” on foreigners who visit the country to take
advantage of its liberal assisted suicide law.

Dignitas, a Zurich-based group, helps foreigners commit suicide. They
normally arrive 2 or 3 days before their demise. Apart from ethical
considerations, many Swiss see this as bad public relations.

So opponents of this so-called “suicide tourism” propose imposing a
fine of 50,000 Swiss francs (US$47,000) on Dignitas if it helps kill a person who
has not lived in Switzerland for at least a year. A referendum on the proposal
is scheduled for November 28.

Daniel Suter, Zurich president of the Swiss Federal Democratic Union
party, which is behind the vote, says: “we believe this will cut down the
number of suicides dramatically. There needs to be an end to death tourism. We
anticipate the fine will be passed on to the person committing suicide by the
suicide organisation. Effectively foreigners will be discouraged from coming to
Zurich to die.”

However, Ludwig Minelli, the founder of Dignitas, seems unconcerned by
the move. Even if the referendum proposal passes it will be challenged in the
Swiss courts and in the European Court of Human Rights. ~ Irish Independent, Jan 23

Michael Cook
assisted suicide
Dignitas
suicide tourism
Switzerland

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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