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. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox 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 ...