In July, Slovenia became the latest European country to legalise assisted dying. The new legislation had been introduced by Prime Minister Robert Golob in fulfilment of an election pledge and following an earlier referendum that indicated 55% support for the new measure. The law has not yet become operational and may face an uphill battle. … Continue reading Legalisation in Slovenia
There is an article in today’s Times (26th September) about Ruth and Michael Posner who recently travelled to Switzerland for an Assisted Voluntary Death. They were 96 and 97 respectively. Their chosen facility was Pegasos. Everything was handled well and their AVDs seem to have been quite straightforward. However, in this morning’s London Times, a… Continue reading Misleading piece in The Times
The Assisted Dying Bill passed its Second Reading stage in the House of Lords on Friday 19th September. A majority of their Lordships are not in support of the Bill but nonetheless chose not to oppose it head on. The debate lasted two days and there were 160 speeches. 50 were clearly supportive. 110 were… Continue reading Success in the Lords
Kim Leadbeater’s Bill passed through the House of Commons last June. The vote in favour was 314 to 291. It has now reached the House of Lords. The initial debate (called “Second Reading”) will be spread over two days – starting on Friday 12th September. It is possible, technically, that the whole Bill could be… Continue reading The Assisted Dying Bill – update
This website now contains a supplement (Appendix 4) written specifically for American citizens. It covers the outlines of US law and the specific issues to be considered if a visit to Switzerland is being contemplated. The author is Laura Carroll who is based in California. She is a former trial consultant and industrial psychology professional. … Continue reading Supplement for US citizens
The latest edition of “Going to Switzerland” seems not to be complete. Specifically, it makes no reference to Pegasos. The booklet forms part of the stable of products available from EXIT International. When asked about the omission, EXIT responded by saying “The book profiles the 3 most important organisations: Dignitas, Athanasios and The Last Resort”.… Continue reading An incomplete guide
Following the launch of Athanasios in March this year, a further new AVD provider in Switzerland has just been formed. Its name is Phoenix Care and its website is www.phoenix-care.ch It has been created by two women, Barbara and Susanna. Between them they have several years of experience in providing Assisted Voluntary Dying. Their purpose… Continue reading Phoenix Care – another new AVD provider
A number of American visitors to this website (well, four actually) have asked whether the imposition of 39% US tariffs on Switzerland will cause the cost of assisted dying in Switzerland to rise sharply. The short answer is No. Tariffs are a tax upon imported goods, not upon services in the country where they are… Continue reading Will Switzerland get more expensive ?
The number of non-Swiss citizens visiting Switzerland for an Assisted Voluntary Death (AVD) has more than doubled in the past ten years. In 2013 and 2014 almost all AVDs from abroad were handled by Dignitas and Lifecircle. Dignitas, conducted 426 over those two years. Lifecircle, then very new, conducted about 70. Their overall annual average… Continue reading AVD visitors double in ten years
Readers of this website will know that Sean Davison was arrested in England one year ago on suspicion of helping someone to commit suicide by accompanying them on their visit to Switzerland. He was questioned for several hours and then released on bail. His computer and laptop were confiscated. What has happened since then ?… Continue reading The Sean Davison case – latest
