Assisted suicide set to be legalised in Swiss old peoples' homes

By Alan Hall
14th April 2011

A Swiss region is poised to give old people in state-subsidised care homes the right to die via assisted suicide if that is their wish.

The assisted suicide organisation Exit, which already helps terminally ill patients in a number of nursing homes, forced a poll on the issue in Vaud – a Swiss first - back in 2009 and garnered the required number of signatures to make it law.

Now there will be one more referendum to decide if the local government's proposals, which slightly water down the Exit plans, become law. the rest