LAUSANNE, Switzerland - A ruling by Switzerland's highest court released Friday has opened up the possibility that people with serious mental illnesses could be helped by doctors to take their own lives.
Switzerland already allows physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients under certain circumstances. The Federal Tribunal's decision puts mental illnesses on the same level as physical ones.
"It must be recognized that an incurable, permanent, serious mental disorder can cause similar suffering as a physical (disorder), making life appear unbearable to the patient in the long term," the ruling said.
"If the death wish is based on an autonomous decision which takes all circumstances into account, then a mentally ill person can be prescribed sodium-pentobarbital and thereby assisted in suicide," it added.
Various organizations exist in Switzerland to help people who want to commit suicide, and assisting someone to die is not punishable under Swiss law as long as there is no "selfish motivation" for doing so.
The judges made clear in their ruling that certain conditions would have to be met before a mentally ill person's request for suicide assistance could be considered justified.
"A distinction has to be made between a death wish which is an expression of a curable, psychiatric disorder and which requires treatment, and (a death wish) which is based on a person of sound judgment's own well-considered and permanent decision, which must be respected," they said.
The case was brought by a 53-year old man with serious bipolar affective disorder who asked the tribunal to allow him to acquire a lethal dose of pentobarbital without a doctor's prescription.
The tribunal ruled against his request, confirming the need for a thorough medical assessment of the patient's condition.
Whether any Swiss physician would be prepared to prescribe a lethal dose of pentobarbital to a mentally ill person remains unclear. The country's national ethics commission could not be reached for comment late on Friday.
Switzerland is one of a number of countries in Europe that allow assistance to terminally ill people who wish to die.
Netherlands legalized euthanasia in 2001 and Belgium in 2002, while Britain and France allow terminally ill people to refuse treatment in favor of death.
- posted on 12/10/2008
看来瑞士是安乐死最先进的地方。一针镇静药就3000元。好生意。 人口老龄化很恐怖。
新快报讯 英国天空电视台实况频道10日晚播放了纪录片《选择死的权利:自杀游客》,展示一名罹患运动神经细胞疾病的59岁退休大学教授,远赴瑞士苏黎世一间诊所接受安乐死,惹起极大争议。
美国裔教授尤尔特旅居在英国北约克郡。因患有运动神经细胞疾病全身瘫痪,尤尔特要靠呼吸机来呼吸,喉咙也在慢性萎缩,甚至失去吞食的能力。经过与妻子玛丽反复讨论,尤尔特决定,与其成为一座“活墓”忍受着令人煎熬、漫长的死亡,倒不如选择安乐死。
他们远赴瑞士苏黎世,还支付了3000美元的服务费。
尤尔特在诊所饮下致命剂量的镇静剂后,自己调校计时器关闭气喉,不消45分钟,便在妻子玛丽的陪同下去世。整个过程里,玛丽一直紧紧地握住丈夫的手。玛丽接受采访时说:“我在送他的时候,一直没流泪。直至看到我们的照片,才泪如泉涌。”尤尔特没有让两个孩子送他“最后一程”,他说,怕自己见到孩子,会舍不得死去。
尤尔特在妻子玛丽陪同下去世
这是英国电视首次播放安乐死过程。电视画面令人极之不安,将激起人们就安乐死的合法性重新展开政治辩论,也会引申出有关在电视上播出这些画面是否适合的疑问。
死者希望唤起人们思考
尤尔特在死前表示,希望借这段死亡记录来唤起人们对死亡的思考和讨论,影像如实地解释了死亡。他说:“我要告诉人们,看,这就是死亡。它并不恐怖。”这将令人们更勇敢面对死亡。
- RE: Switzerland may expand assisted suicide law to mental illnessposted on 04/01/2011
回复 #1 玛雅euthanasia.com
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