RainAndSadness
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- Jun 12, 2018
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The first Swiss prison inmate ended their life with the help of the assisted suicide organisation Exit on February 28. And that's another step towards the right to die as a fundamental human right, at least in Switzerland.
www.swissinfo.ch
Some quotes from the article.
That confirms once again that in Switzerland we consider the right to die a very fundamental human right, which cannot be denied even to people who are serving their time in prison. It also means we treat Swiss prisoners with some degree of dignity and respect, something that's not very common in the rest of the world. I'm pretty sure if this happened anywhere else, the public would react in protest and outrage but honestly, if you think about it, serving a long time in prison, possibly your entire life without the possibility of parole - which means you give up your freedom and the perspective to ever live a decent life outside of prison ever again, is one of the most rational reasons to end your life prematurely. Philip Nitscke brought up a situation like this as an example of a rational suicide in this BBC interview years ago.
And in my opinion, this just proves once again that Switzerland is the pinnacle of the right to die movement. I'm not aware of any other country where this would be possible and I don't think any other country would give this idea the slightest consideration but this just proves how unique the Swiss legislation is around assisted suicide.This can't be replicated anywhere else, at least not yet. And there has been a public debate whetever it's morally justifable to let prisoners end their life in Switzerland, for example these article picked up this controversial topic some time ago but that's why I knew it's only a matter of time until it's gonna happen. And it finally did, so for me that's not really a surprise.
www.swissinfo.ch
www.thelocal.ch
There is even a scientific article exploring the ethical question whetever it's okay if prisoners are allowed to end their life from a Swiss perspective.
This just shows, the situation in most countries doesn't have to be the status quo. It doesn't need to be like this. Suicide or the decision to end your own life on your own terms (with the help of a third party), doesn't need to be a taboo - in fact it can be a basic right with enough activism and Switzerland is a good example for that. And it's possible to change the public perceiption around assisted suicide, we just need to hammer down the argument that we come from a position of empathy and compassion - not the ones who want to prolong the suffering and therefore infringe on the individual autonomy of consenting adults. They've simply hijacked the conversation and we need to take back control of the narrative around this discussion and lay out the arguments in favor of the right to die because it's very clear to me that our arguments will prevail in the long run. It doesn't seem like that given the legal situation in most countries out there that but our position is the(!) common sense position and if you frame the conversation from this angle, you will get a majority behind this topic - without a doubt, even in countries that are hostile towards the idea of the right to die as an extension of our individual autonomy. I'm pretty sure about that.
First assisted suicide by Swiss prison inmate
A Swiss prison inmate has reportedly ended his life with the help of an assisted suicide organisation.
www.swissinfo.ch
Swissinfo said:
Swissinfo said:
That confirms once again that in Switzerland we consider the right to die a very fundamental human right, which cannot be denied even to people who are serving their time in prison. It also means we treat Swiss prisoners with some degree of dignity and respect, something that's not very common in the rest of the world. I'm pretty sure if this happened anywhere else, the public would react in protest and outrage but honestly, if you think about it, serving a long time in prison, possibly your entire life without the possibility of parole - which means you give up your freedom and the perspective to ever live a decent life outside of prison ever again, is one of the most rational reasons to end your life prematurely. Philip Nitscke brought up a situation like this as an example of a rational suicide in this BBC interview years ago.
And in my opinion, this just proves once again that Switzerland is the pinnacle of the right to die movement. I'm not aware of any other country where this would be possible and I don't think any other country would give this idea the slightest consideration but this just proves how unique the Swiss legislation is around assisted suicide.This can't be replicated anywhere else, at least not yet. And there has been a public debate whetever it's morally justifable to let prisoners end their life in Switzerland, for example these article picked up this controversial topic some time ago but that's why I knew it's only a matter of time until it's gonna happen. And it finally did, so for me that's not really a surprise.
Bern prisoner requests assisted suicide
The request of a 64-year-old Bern prisoner has caused a stir with assisted suicide organisation Exit and the justice authorities.
www.swissinfo.ch
Will Switzerland allow assisted suicide for its prisoners?
A request by a convict behind bars for life is testing Switzerland's support for assisted suicide, raising complex questions over whether ill prisoners can seek help to end their own lives.
There is even a scientific article exploring the ethical question whetever it's okay if prisoners are allowed to end their life from a Swiss perspective.
This just shows, the situation in most countries doesn't have to be the status quo. It doesn't need to be like this. Suicide or the decision to end your own life on your own terms (with the help of a third party), doesn't need to be a taboo - in fact it can be a basic right with enough activism and Switzerland is a good example for that. And it's possible to change the public perceiption around assisted suicide, we just need to hammer down the argument that we come from a position of empathy and compassion - not the ones who want to prolong the suffering and therefore infringe on the individual autonomy of consenting adults. They've simply hijacked the conversation and we need to take back control of the narrative around this discussion and lay out the arguments in favor of the right to die because it's very clear to me that our arguments will prevail in the long run. It doesn't seem like that given the legal situation in most countries out there that but our position is the(!) common sense position and if you frame the conversation from this angle, you will get a majority behind this topic - without a doubt, even in countries that are hostile towards the idea of the right to die as an extension of our individual autonomy. I'm pretty sure about that.
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