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Why Are People Going To Switzerland To Kill Themselves?

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[1] 00:00This episode of Dnews was proudly made possible by the all-new 2015 Subaru Legacy.

[2] 00:05It's not just a sedan - it's a Subaru.

[3] 00:08Switzerland has become a hotspot for suicide tourism - but what does that mean?

[4] 00:13And how exactly does it work?

[5] 00:16Hey guys, Tara here for Dnews - and you've probably heard of the term "assisted suicide"

[6] 00:24at some point.

[7] 00:26It's a legal form of suicide, that's performed with the help of medical professionals.

[8] 00:30Most places in the world have banned it, for ethical or religious reasons - but there is

[9] 00:34one country where assisted suicide is perfectly legal, and that's Switzerland.

[10] 00:39Currently, Switzerland has 6 different right-to-die organizations, 4 of which willingly accept

[11] 00:44patients who live outside the country.

[12] 00:46One of those organizations, is called "Dignitas - to live with dignity, to die with dignity."

[13] 00:52It was founded in 1998, and since then, it's helped assist in the suicides of over 1,000

[14] 00:56people in Zurich.

[15] 00:57But as far as assisted suicide goes, it's relatively new - the practice has been legal

[16] 01:01in Switzerland since 1942.

[17] 01:04Interestingly, there are a few states in the US that do legally allow physician-assisted

[18] 01:08suicide - including Oregon, Washington, Vermont, and New Mexico - but Switzerland is unique,

[19] 01:14because it's one of the few countries with no national laws against it.

[20] 01:17As such, it's created something of a "suicide tourism" industry, where people travel from

[21] 01:22all over the world, with the intent of ending their life.

[22] 01:25Of course, not just anybody can choose to do this.

[23] 01:27All patients undergo a thorough psychiatric evaluation, to make sure they're of sound

[24] 01:31mind - but they also have to have a legitimate medical reason for wanting to do it.

[25] 01:35And a recent study published in the British Journal of Medicine, aims to find out exactly

[26] 01:39who is partaking in suicide tourism - and why.

[27] 01:42A team of researchers combed through databases of information from the Institute of Legal

[28] 01:46Medicine in Zurich, and looked at 611 cases of assisted suicide between 2008 and 2012,

[29] 01:53involving people from outside countries.

[30] 01:54The average age of someone seeking assisted suicide, was 69 years old - ranging from 23

[31] 01:59all the way up to 97.

[32] 02:01And women, they found, were 40% more likely to choose assisted suicide, than men.

[33] 02:07The 611 cases also included people from 31 different countries - yet almost two-thirds

[34] 02:13of the patients came from either Germany or the UK.

[35] 02:16So why were they seeking suicide?

[36] 02:18Well, the laws in the US state that you must have a terminal illness, with a prognosis

[37] 02:22of less than 6 months left to live.

[38] 02:24But it's not like that in Switzerland.

[39] 02:25Certain organizations - like Dignitas - do only work with terminally ill patients.

[40] 02:30But the actual Swiss laws, say you just have prove that you're not doing it for "selfish"

[41] 02:34reasons, you're doing it to "relieve suffering" - whether that's physical, mental, or both.

[42] 02:39In this study, the most common reason for someone seeking suicide, were neurological

[43] 02:43diseases - like paralysis, Parkinson's, motor neuron disease, and multiple sclerosis.

[44] 02:49Those accounted for almost half of the total cases, followed by cancer and rheumatic diseases.

[45] 02:53And about 1 in 3 people, had multiple conditions.

[46] 02:56Now as foreign a concept as this is for most of us - if you ignore the religious implications,

[47] 03:01there is something that seems wrong about denying someone the ability to die with dignity,

[48] 03:05if they're truly suffering from an incurable illness.

[49] 03:08After all, we administer euthanasia to our pets when they're suffering.

[50] 03:12And from a moral standpoint, that's even more egregious - because animals can't give

[51] 03:16consent.

[52] 03:17It is worth noting, though, the distinction between euthanasia and "assisted suicide."

[53] 03:22Euthanasia is administered by someone else - whereas "assisted suicide" is just that

[54] 03:26- assisted.

[55] 03:27In Switzerland at least, the drug can only be "prepared" by a doctor - and the person

[56] 03:31who's committing suicide has to administer the drug themselves.

[57] 03:34For most people in Switzerland, that drug is sodium pentobarbital.

[58] 03:38It's typically used to euthanize animals, but it's also been included in some of the

[59] 03:41lethal injection cocktails given to inmates here in the US.

[60] 03:45When injected in high doses, it effectively slows down your brain function, almost immediately,

[61] 03:49to the point where it stops - and once your brain stops, eventually so does your heart.

[62] 03:53As far as lethal injection cocktails go, it's one of the more humane options.

[63] 03:56But even so, the topic of assisted suicide is still highly controversial, and most countries

[64] 04:02- including Germany and the UK - aren't eager to make it legal, anytime soon.

[65] 04:06What are your thoughts on this?

[66] 04:08Do you think assisted suicide should be legal, or should it remain outlawed?

[67] 04:11Let us know what you think in the comments below - and as always, thank you guys for

[68] 04:15watching!