Swiss Christian nursing home must allow assisted suicide

A court in Switzerland ruled a Christian nursing home must allow assisted suicide for its patients or lose its tax-exempt status, according to a ruling earlier this month.

The Salvation Army-run nursing home in the Canton of Neuchatel contested a recent Swiss law requiring charitable institutions to permit assisted suicide for patients who request to end their lives. A federal court ruled earlier this month that the nursing home must condone euthanasia or risk penalty, regardless of whether the law conflicts with the Salvation Army’s religious beliefs.

“The Salvation Army believes strongly that all people deserve compassion and care in their suffering and dying,” states the U.K.-based international organization’s website. “Euthanasia and assisted suicide should not, however, be considered acceptable responses. They undermine human dignity and are morally wrong.”

The court ruling does not force Salvation Army employees or volunteers to carry out assisted suicide for its patients, but states that they cannot block persons under their care from accessing euthanasia if they choose to end their lives.

At this time, the Salvation Army says it will not contest the ruling and will comply.

“For the Salvation Army, euthanasia and accompanied suicide are not acceptable solutions,” the group said in a statement. “Therefore it notes with regret the decision of the Federal Court on the complaint against the revised Health Act of the Canton of Neuchatel note. In its institutions, the Salvation Army will continue to focus on palliative care. The Salvation Army will comply with applicable law.”

But the statement, like the original court appeal, made the Salvation Army’s stance on the matter clear—“Life is a top priority and must be protected,” and the ruling violates the organization’s freedom of conscience.

Switzerland legalized assisted suicide in 1942, making it a safe haven for terminally ill patients from all over Europe to enter its borders to end their lives, a practice known as suicide tourism. Ten years ago, Swiss lawmakers proposed restricting assisted suicide to legal citizens only, but the proposition never passed. The proposal came back in 2011, but 85 percent of Swiss voters shot it down.

In January 2015, Swiss lawmakers doubled down on the law, no longer allowing charitable organizations to opt out of compliance.

Assisted suicide is on the rise in Switzerland. According to Swiss government data, suicides rose 34 percent between 2014 and 2015. In 2015, the Swiss assisted-suicide organization EXIT abetted 782 deaths—199 more than in 2014. Last year, 45 percent of assisted suicide victims were male, 55 percent were female, and the average age was 77.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition points out some bleak consequences of Swiss euthanasia law.

In 2015, a healthy 75-year-old retired British nurse successfully traveled to Switzerland and ended her life. She had no terminal diagnosis, but suffered from depression. In 2013, a 62-year-old Italian man who thought he was terminally ill traveled to Switzerland and ended his life, but an autopsy found he had the wrong diagnosis.