Swiss assisted suicide deaths increase. Problems continue.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Swiss Exit suicide organization reported that they assisted 1282 suicide deaths in 2020 up from 1218 in 2019.

Swissinfo reported that:

EXIT Deutsche Schweiz, which covers the German and Italian-speaking parts of the country, saw a rise of 51 assisted suicides as it helped 913 people terminate their lives in 2020. More people living in French-speaking Switzerland also ended their lives last year, as 369 people used the services of EXIT Suisse Romande.

The article states that fewer people died by assisted suicide from March to May 2020 due to COVID -19. It is estimated that 1.5% of all deaths in Switzerland are by assisted suicide.

Swiss assisted suicide problems

In February 2020, the Swiss Cantonal Departments of Justice and Police 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. An AFP news article reported that Peter Vogt (69), a dangerous offender, 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.

Dr Pierre Beck

In October 2019, a Geneva court gave a suspended sentence to the regional vice-president of EXIT, Pierre Beck, for assisting the suicide of an 86-year-old woman who was not sick.  According to Swissinfo, Beck admitted to acting beyond the criteria of the law but he said that he didn't regret his action and faced with a similar situation he would likely do it again.

In February 2014, Oriella Cazzanello, an 85 year-old healthy woman died at a Swiss suicide clinic. The letter she sent her family stated that she was unhappy about how she looked.

Pietro D'Amico

In April 2013, Pietro D’Amico, a 62-year-old magistrate from Calabria Italy, died by assisted suicide at a suicide clinic in Basel Switzerland. His autopsy showed that he had a wrong diagnosis.

A Swiss assisted suicide study found that 16% of the people who died at Swiss assisted suicide clinics, in 2014, had no underlying illness.

The Swiss assisted suicide experience proves that when assisted death becomes accepted, deaths by assisted suicide will increase and the reasons for it will expand.