Swiss government considers stricter laws on assisted suicide

The Swiss Government is considering new laws that are likely to make it harder for foreigners to travel to clinics, such as Dignitas, to get help to end their life.

Recently the British conductor Edward Downes and his wife, Joan, used the services of Dignitas. Unlike his wife, Sir Edward, 85, did not have a terminal illness.

In June the Swiss justice minister, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, announced that two different draft pieces of legislation would be considered in parliament this autumn. “One is a complete ban on assisted suicide, and one is the introduction of stricter, clearer legislation,” she said.

Currently it is legal in Switzerland to assist in a suicide unless …