Switzerland approves assisted suicide for prisoners.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Swiss Cantonal Departments of Justice and Police have approved assisted suicide for prisoners after a Swiss prisoner convicted of sexual assault and rape of girls and woman was considered for death by assisted suicide.

Capital Punishment is illegal in Switzerland.

The Swiss media organization, Local.ch, reported that

Switzerland's cantons, which implement prison sentences, have agreed "on the principle that assisted suicide should be possible inside prisons," the Conference of Cantonal Departments of Justice and Police said. 

Conference director Roger Schneeberger told AFP that there were still differences between cantons on how assisted suicides could be carried out in prisons and a group of experts would issue recommendations by November.

Peter Vogt

An AFP news article by Agnès Pedrero reported that Peter Vogt (69) who was diagnosed with several psychological disorders and reportedly lives with health issues related to his kidney and heart, contacted the assisted suicide group Exit, and was being considered for assisted suicide. Vogt was declared a dangerous offender and is unlikely to be released from prison.

Vogt may have been the first Swiss prisoner to request death by assisted suicide but his request led to more prisoners requests.

Once a society accepts that killing is an acceptable response to human difficulties, then killing will become acceptable for other forms of human difficulty.