In Switzerland, the Salvation Army has been told it must allow assisted suicide
A Christian nursing home in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, that is owned by the salvation army, has been told by a federal court that it must allow assisted suicide.
According to a law in effect since January 1, 2015, recognised charitable institutions – which receive subsidies – must respect a patient’s wish for assisted suicide on their premises; non-recognised institutions need only explain their position on assisted suicide.
The nursing home and the Salvation Army, which fall into the former category, filed a complaint against the policy arguing it violated their religious beliefs and freedom of conscience. They also pointed out that they motto in German means “Life is a gift from God.”
But the federal judges in Lausanne ruled that, based on the right to self-determination, every individual is allowed to decide when and how he or she wants to die.
The judges said that the clash between the freedom of religion and the right to self-determination was the result of the nursing home’s status as a charitable institution. The trade-off for enjoying subsidies was giving up total economic freedom and being subordinate to state control.
They pointed out that the nursing home could avoid the legal obligation by renouncing its charitable status, thereby losing government subsidies.