Politics New attempt to regulate euthanasia fails
Assisted suicide will not be regulated in Switzerland. On Thursday, the Council of States rejected a motion from its Legal Affairs Committee by 22 votes to 16 with 8 abstentions. However, it does want euthanasia to be recorded statistically.
11.09.2025, 11:34
SDA
The two motions were prompted by the first use of the Sarco suicide capsule in Switzerland. Heidi Z'graggen (center/UR) explained on behalf of the committee that hearings had revealed gaps in legal certainty, transparency and the protection of vulnerable persons.
Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baum-Schneider opposed the proposals. The current criminal law was sufficient. Assisted suicide is prohibited except for altruistic motives. Daniel Jositsch (SP/ZH) said that a legal framework had already been discussed ten years ago and had been dropped. Philosophical legal reasons had been the deciding factor.
By contrast, the Council of States approved the motion to monitor euthanasia by 24 votes to 7 with 3 abstentions. The tenor was that figures were needed.
