The Swiss Exit group, that provides assisted suicide services in Switzerland for Swiss residents only, has upped the ante recently by declaring that the elderly - even if they are not ill - can access their services. The membership of Exit voted for this policy change at their recent general meeting, The UK Guardian reporting that Exit would now allow, 'people suffering from psychological or physical problems associated with old age the choice to end their life.'
This means everybody and anybody. And, get this: Le Matin reports that Exit refuses to define what 'old age' actually means.
The report added that 'elderly people seeking their services would still have to go through comprehensive checks - but that medical tests would be less stringent than those required for younger people.' A perverse reversed ageism.
The Guardian report refers back to a recent assisted suicide court case reported earlier on the HOPE blog (see below) where a doctor was charged and found guilty in relation to an assisted suicide where he did not confirm the claimed diagnosis of his patient. The court decision was recently overturned. An Exit spokesman observing that, "It has to be OK for elderly people like him not to be put through the same tests again," said Sutter. "This is what we mean - he shouldn't have had to go through it all again."
Well, of course, if it is not really about a terminal illness and not really about suffering but simply a decision to die, why would anything need to be checked? Maybe if one asserts strongly enough that they 'feel old' then even the pretence of 'comprehensive checks' should be dropped.
Why would Exit not follow the lead of Dignitas and welcome all comers. Swiss or not?
The fox is in charge of the hen house!
See also:
The value of a life
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