Scientific article
OA Policy
English

A qualitative study on existential suffering and assisted suicide in Switzerland

Published inBMC Medical Ethics, vol. 20, no. 1, 34
Publication date2019
Abstract

In Switzerland, people can be granted access to assisted suicide (AS) on condition that the person whose wish is to die performs the fatal act, that he has his decisional capacity and that the assisting person's conduct is not selfishly motivated. No restrictions relating to the ground of suffering are mentioned in the act. Existential suffering as a reason for wanting to die, however, gives raise to controversial issues. Moreover, existential suffering lacks definition and no consensus exists on how to evaluate and manage it. This study explores the perspectives of care professionals and volunteers from a "right-to-die organization" on existential suffering as a motive for assisted suicide requests.

Citation (ISO format)
GAIGNARD, Marie-Estelle, HURST, Samia. A qualitative study on existential suffering and assisted suicide in Switzerland. In: BMC Medical Ethics, 2019, vol. 20, n° 1, p. 34. doi: 10.1186/s12910-019-0367-9
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Article (Published version)
Identifiers
Journal ISSN1472-6939
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Creation06/21/2019 11:14:00 AM
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