Euthanasia set to become possible in Lucerne hospitals

Terminally ill residents in Swiss canton Lucerne should no longer have to leave hospital for assisted euthanasia. On Monday the cantonal parliament voted in favour of assisted dying being regulated by law in both retirement homes and hospitals.

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On Monday, parliament passed a motion by Sara Muff from the centre-left Social Democratic Party by 81 votes to 27. The question of whether – as proposed by the cantonal government – hospitals should be exempted from assisted dying was particularly contentious among the centre-right and conservative groups.

In her motion, Muff called for a legal framework for external assisted suicide in all public health and social care institutions. Self-determination over one’s own life should apply until the end of life and for everyone, regardless of where they are, she said.

Today, many care homes have their own guidelines on assisted dying. Residents of nursing homes or social care facilities do not have the same access to this everywhere as people living at home, said Health Director Michaela Tschuor (Centre Party) in the cantonal parliament.

Tschuor therefore advocated for equal access to external assisted dying support in care and support facilities to be regulated by law. She wanted to exclude hospitals from this. Their remit lies in healing, care and the alleviation of suffering, she said.

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Muff did not agree with this. Hospitals are also places where people die, said Muff. That is why self-determination at the end of life should apply there too. It should not be the case that someone who is at the end of their life has to leave hospital to die.

Thomas Gfeller from the right-wing Swiss People’s Party agreed with Muff. The path outlined by the government was not a compromise, but rather cemented the problem, he said.

Mario Cozzio from the centrist Liberal Green Party also spoke in favour of referring the entire motion. However, freedom should apply to both sides, he said. People at the end of life should be able to decide for themselves, but the same should also apply to staff in the institutions.

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For Karin Andrea Stadelmann (Centre Party), assisted dying in hospital also has its place. In palliative care, she said, the focus is no longer on healing but on care.

Lisa Zanolla (People’s Party) and Hannes Koch from the left-wing Green Party also stated that there are situations in hospitals where assisted dying should be possible on site. Priska Fleischlin (Social Democratic Party) said that for people who are suffering, dying is a relief and a beautiful thing.

Fleischlin explained that “wishing to die” is already possible in hospitals today, for example by forgoing life-prolonging measures. In hospitals, however, unlike in assisted dying, the focus is on alleviating suffering, not on shortening life.

Stephan Schärli (Centre Party) and Sibylle Boos-Braun (centre-right Radical Liberal Party) supported the government’s stance. Schärli said hospitals should not be forced to offer something that contradicts their fundamental mission. Boos feared that assisted dying could also create difficult situations for hospital staff.

Gerda Jung (Centre Party) and Jasmin Ursprung (People’s Party) argued in favour of rejecting the motion entirely. Care homes should be able to decide for themselves on the issue of assisted dying, said Ursprung. A uniform cantonal regulation would add no value.

Adapted from German by AI/ts