Over the past 15 years, 11 Portuguese have traveled to Switzerland to seek assisted suicide with the association “Dignitas – Live with dignity, die with dignity”, while euthanasia awaits regulation in Portugal. According to the newspaper PublicOf the 13,775 members of the association, 39 are Portuguese on the subscriber list.
In Switzerland, euthanasia is not allowed, but assisted suicide is allowed. Operating for 26 years, the Dignitas program – Live with dignity, die with dignity – has already helped 3,916 people commit suicide, 250 of them in 2023.
Assisted suicide can cost up to 11,000 euros, and for those experiencing economic hardship the amounts can be reduced.
According to the association, 0.23% of completed assisted suicide cases are Portuguese. The first entry concerns a divorced and childless Portuguese woman who was suffering from terminal cancer in 2009.
The association visits the homes of people seeking assisted suicide and delivers a lethal drug that the client must take themselves.
Newspaper Public explains that the process from the time of request until the remains are sent to the country of origin takes three to four months. Only adult clients with a “terminal illness leading to death,” “disability,” or experiencing “unbearable or uncontrollable pain” are accepted.
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
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