Euthanasia myths

If ever there was an example to dispel the doomsday predictions tendered by opponents it has to be Switzerland where they havethe most liberal assisted suicide laws in the world. For 50 or so years it has not been illegal to assist a suicide in Switzerland providing one does not benefit from the death.

It is not a requirement that the person being assisted is competent or an adult or terminally ill. Anyone can assist the suicide; one does not have to be a doctor or even an adult. There are several organizations in Switzerland that assist (subject to certain conditions) hundreds of gravely ill citizens and foreigners to suicide each year.

I have not been able to find any claim that the so called 'vulnerable' in Switzerland are living in fear of being pressured or assisted to die against their wishes. Neither is there evidence that the Swiss do not value life as much as any other society. Indeed in regard to lawmaking Switzerland is regarded as more democratic than most countries.

If the Swiss can permit such activity with hardly any rules we should be able to prevent society sliding into depravity by restricting access to VE to terminally ill adults acting voluntarily, requiring second opinions, cooling off periods and oversight.