Switzerland options
Switzerland is the only country in the world where foreigners are allowed to have assisted suicide. Swiss euthanasia organisations have widely been used by foreigners in what critics have termed ‘suicide tourism’.
Because of the slow pace of getting a euthanasia law in our country, South Africans should be aware of the option of traveling to Switzerland to end their lives, and of the challenges choosing this option pose.
Assisted suicides have been allowed under Swiss law since 1942. One of the unique aspects of assisted suicide in Switzerland is that the law does not require sickness in order to qualify for an assisted death. A key 2006 decision by the Swiss Federal Court ruled that all people of sound judgment, irrespective of whether they suffer from a mental illness, have the right to decide the manner of their death.
The key criteria governing Swiss assisted suicide law are:
The action which directly causes death is performed by the one wishing to die. (All forms of active euthanasia are against the law even if committed from respectable motives such as mercy killings.)
The person requesting help to die must be mentally competent.
The motives for assisting a person are not selfish
Organisations in Switzerland:
There are presently three Swiss organisations that provide assisted suicide service to foreigners:
Dignitas (Zurich): Founded in 1998, Dignitas is the longest running service in Switzerland. It is the most conservative of the organisations and only accepts cases of people with serious illnesses, or the very elderly.
EX International (Bern): Not to be confused with Exit International is a German-speaking assisted suicide organisation that accepts foreigners but predominantly caters to Swiss nationals. This is the largest organisation in Switzerland.
Pegasos (Basel): This is the most recent organisation, founded in 2019. Pegasos is considered the most liberal in terms of who they accept for assisted suicides, including younger people, those with psychiatric illnesses (but mentally competent), and elderly couples who wish to die together.
In all three organisations death is usually induced through a lethal dose of barbiturates that has been prescribed by a doctor. Ingestion of the drug, whether by drinking it or through the use of intravenous drips or stomach tubes, must be carried out by the person wanting to die, without any assistance.
Obstacles
Switzerland is considered the most expensive country in the world, and because of the weakness of the rand the cost of an assisted death in Switzerland makes this option out of reach of most South Africans.
The fee for an assisted death at these organisations is 10,000 Swiss francs (about R196,000). In addition, there are the travel & visa costs of getting to Switzerland, and accommodation costs, particularly high if family members are also accompanying the person.
Switzerland is also one of the most bureaucratic countries in the world. When applying for an assisted death there are numerous documents required. Some of the documents must be originals issued no more than 6 months previously (eg birth certificates). The person is also required to submit a psychiatric report to show they have mental capacity.
When people think of Switzerland they usually conjure up images of snow peaked Swiss alps, surrounded by stunning picturesque scenery, and the notion of a Swiss assisted suicide brings the same feelings of peace and tranquillity. In reality it is quite a major mission getting an application approved in Switzerland, and financially impossible for most of our population. If the application is approved, the location of the premises where the assisted deaths are carried out are far from picturesque. However, it is a genuine option, and one we should be aware of until legal assisted suicide is available in South Africa.