Switzerland: Zurich votes to keep assisted suicide
Mariana Puzderi/ Chisinau / Moldova.ORG/ -- Residents of the Switzerland canton of Zurich voted to legalize euthanasia for terminally ill - not just the citizens of Switzerland, but also tourists coming into the country, reported Agency France-Presse.
Voting on this issue took place on Sunday. It was initiated by the Swiss Federal Party of Democratic Union (UDF) and the Evangelical Party (PEV), which are opposed to euthanasia, said the agency. In the voting participated residents of Zurich, which, in recent years has become the "Mecca" for tourists who wish to die.
The parties put forward two initiatives. The first is that they argued for the introduction of the rule that a foreigner who wishes to take advantage of euthanasia in Switzerland, has lived in Zurich at least one year. According to the voting, 218.602 thousand (78,4%) inhabitants of the canton were against the parties' proposal.
The second initiative was the requirement of a total ban of "suicide tourism" at the national level. This proposal was rejected by 234.956 thousand (84,5%) inhabitants of Zurich.
The right to die - a private affair of a man, which does not apply to any state, nor even more - to the church, "- said after the vote, vice president of the association to help implement the" death trips "in the country Bernard Syutter (Bernhard Sutter).
In March 2009, Luxembourg has legalized euthanasia, and the third in the European Union allowed "to go quietly out of life" - after Belgium and the Netherlands, where the relevant laws were adopted in 2002. In Switzerland, a physician can also help desperately ill man to die: the doctor may give the patient a drug that he should enter his own.
In Britain in 2009 frequent cases of euthanasia raised the question of the need to legalize all its aspects. In this regard, the British science fiction writer Sir Terry Pretchett, who suffers from advanced Alzheimer's disease, proposes to establish a special tribunal which will hear cases dared to euthanasia. According to his words, medicine should begin not only to help people live well, but also to die peacefully with their families.
In September 2010, University of Zurich conducted a public opinion poll, according to which the majority of Swiss citizens were in favor of legalizing euthanasia.
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