{"id":3953,"date":"2011-05-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-05-15T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.dignitas.bertastrasse1.ch\/news\/dignitas-regards-it-as-imperative\/"},"modified":"2025-06-18T10:59:37","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T08:59:37","slug":"dignitas-comment-on-zurich-voters-liberal-position-on-assisted-dying","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/news\/dignitas-comment-on-zurich-voters-liberal-position-on-assisted-dying\/","title":{"rendered":"DIGNITAS comment on Zurich voters’ liberal position on assisted dying"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The association \u201eDIGNITAS<\/span> \u2013 to live with dignity \u2013 to die with dignity\u201c expresses its heartfelt gratitude, in the name of all those individuals who need help today and in future, to the Z\u00fcrich voters for their clear and liberal position in questions of assistance in dying, as expressed in the results of the vote of May 15, 2011. At the same time, DIGNITAS<\/span> admonishes the authorities on federal and cantonal level to pay at last attention to the protection of human life where it is vulnerable to an exceptionally high degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Already in 2002, the Swiss Federal Council (the Swiss Government) explained that the yearly number of suicides in Switzerland counts up to 67.000 [see footnote 1] (which compares to the size of the population of cities like Luzern or St. Gallen or even to one third of the Canton of Basel-Stadt!). The number of suicide attempts is thus fifty times higher than the number of statistically registered suicides. Despite a postulate [see footnote 2] introduced by national council member Hans Widmer (SP, LU), the government did not undertake any actions to finally establish an effective suicide-attempt prophylaxis. Instead, since 2002, the government and the majority of the media depicted the justified and through associations carefully accompanied suicides in an impertinent, hyped and distorted way; entirely in ignorance of the real attitude of the large majority of the population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DIGNITAS<\/span> regards it as imperative to finally complement the efforts so far of preventing inconsiderate suicides (suicide prophylaxis) by a carefully thought-of policy of preventing suicide attempts (suicide-attempt prophylaxis).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] Answer of the Swiss Federal Council (Swiss Government) dated January 9, 2002, to the question of Andreas Gross regarding suicide and suicides attempts; www.parlament. ch\/d\/suche\/seiten\/geschaefte.aspx?gesch_id=20011105<\/a> (in German and French)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2] Postulate Widmer, dated June 13, 2002, regarding suicide prevention; www.parlament. ch\/D\/Suche\/Seiten\/geschaefte.aspx?gesch_id=20023251<\/a> (in German and French)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Results of the vote according to the office of statistics of the Canton of Z\u00fcrich
(PDF-file)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A quick glance into the media (Links):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

swissinfo: Zurich voters reject ban on “suicide tourism”<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chicago Tribune: Zurich voters overwhelmingly decide to keep assisted suicide, reject ban on ‘suicide tourism’<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Irish Times: Voters reject suicide aid ban<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Independent: Swiss vote to continue assisted suicide<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BBC News Europe: Z\u00fcrich votes to keep assisted suicide<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neue Z\u00fcrcher Zeitung: Absage an die Moralisten<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swiss Television DRS, Schweiz aktuell<\/a> (starting at 08:00 minutes)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tages Anzeiger: \u00abDie Sektenbr\u00fcder wurden weggefegt\u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c4rzte Zeitung: B\u00fcrger in Z\u00fcrich lehnen Stopp der Sterbehilfe ab<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Z\u00fcrcher Oberl\u00e4nder: Deutliche Abfuhr f\u00fcr Sterbehilfe-Initiativen<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

frei denken: Klares Bekenntnis zur Sterbehilfe muss Vorgabe f\u00fcr EJPD sein<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blick: Weiterhin Sterbehilfe im Kanton Z\u00fcrich<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swiss Television DRS, Tagesschau: Interview with Ludwig A. Minelli<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

tsr info.ch: Les Zurichois refusent de limiter l’aide au suicide<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Der Tagesspiegel: Abstimmung \u00fcber Sterbehilfe in der Schweiz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vedic Views on World News: Swiss say no to euthanasia restrictions<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neue Z\u00fcrcher Zeitung: Klares Signal nach Bern<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freidenker-Vereinigung der Schweiz: Stopp dem religi\u00f6sen Fundamentalismus<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swiss Television DRS: Ein Signal nach Bundesbern<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The association \u201eDIGNITAS \u2013 to live with dignity \u2013 to die with dignity\u201c expresses its heartfelt gratitude, in the name of all those individuals who need help today and in future, to the Z\u00fcrich voters for their clear and liberal position in questions of assistance in dying, as expressed in the results of the vote […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","tags":[540,576,588],"class_list":["post-3953","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","tag-dignitas-en","tag-switzerland","tag-zurich"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dignitas.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}