[Assisted suicide in Switzerland, a model in the international discussion about medical aid in dying: framework conditions and long-term development of a new societal and medical-ethical phenomenon].

Abstract

In the observation period between 1999 and 2022, the Swiss Federal Statistical Office recorded 14 170 assisted suicide (AS) cases. During this 24-year period, the annual number of cases increased significantly: While only 63 cases were observed in 1999, the number of cases in 2022 amounted to almost 1600, corresponding to 2.1 % of all deaths in Switzerland. The most common underlying disease group for AS was cancer, accounting for 40 % of cases. AS is mainly chosen by women (unchanged over time at 58 % of cases) and is primarily a geriatric phenomenon: In 2022, the median age of those who opted for assisted dying was 81 years; the median age of those who chose AS due to cancer was 77 years, while the median age of those who died with non-cancer-related AS was 84 years.