Swiss Politicians Battle 'Suicide Tourism'

(NEWSER) - Some 800 Brits have signed up to commit suicide at a controversial Swiss clinic, reports the Guardian. The terminally ill patients have become members of Dignitas so they can travel to Zurich when the time comes to take a drug overdose. The number of British residents crossing the border for assisted suicide continues to climb, triggering heightened debate in Britain about a nationwide ban on the practice. More»

Assisted suicides to be restricted to the terminally ill

(NEWSER) - Swiss authorities are trying to cut back on the numbers of people swarming its borders with the intention of dying. The government plans to cut back or even ban assisted suicide amid concerns that too many people—some of them not suffering terminal illnesses—are traveling to Switzerland for assisted suicides, reports the BBC . There were 400 cases of assisted suicide in the country last year, including 132 foreigners. More»

Court orders that current law be clarified

(NEWSER) - A British woman has won her legal battle to force the government to clarify its law on assisted suicide, the Guardian reports. Multiple sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy, whose health is deteriorating, wants to travel to a Swiss euthanasia clinic to die when her condition becomes unbearable. Britain's highest court agreed that the government needs to issue a policy statement on whether her husband could face criminal charges if he helps her to travel there. More»

Swiss founder argues option shouldn't be only for terminally ill

(NEWSER) - The founder of a Swiss assisted-suicide center thinks the Brits are too narrow-minded about the service he offers—it should be available to everyone, not just the terminally ill. The center has sparked an uproar in Britain over plans to help a healthy woman kill herself, the Times of London reports. The woman’s husband is terminally ill, and the Canadian pair agreed to die together. Preparing for a court fight, Dignitas founder Ludwig Minelli told the BBC that suicide was a “marvelous opportunity.” More»

UK debates right to die after terminally ill patient euthanized

(NEWSER) - A documentary that aired on Sky TV last night showed an assisted suicide, stirring up a major debate in Britain about the right to die and the responsibility of television programmers, the Independent reports. Craig Ewert, 59, who suffered from motor neuron disease, traveled to a Swiss clinic, drank a lethal cocktail, and died with his wife at his side. Assisted suicide is illegal in the UK, and PM Gordon Brown opposes it. More»