Swiss court OKs assisted suicide

Mental illness, not terminal illness, may now be grounds for physician-assisted suicide in Switzerland.

A Feb. 2 decision from the highest Swiss court opened the door for doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to people with serious mental illnesses, according to The Associated Press.

The Federal Tribunal likened mental illness to a physical one in its opinion, saying, "It must be recognized that an incurable, permanent, serious mental disorder can cause similar suffering as a physical (disorder), making life appear unbearable to the patient in the long term."

Bioethics specialist Wesley Smith said the ruling provides further evidence of the expansive agenda of assisted-suicide advocates. "Anyone who asserts seriously that euthanasia/assisted suicide is ‘only for the terminally ill for whom nothing else can be done to alleviate suffering’ just doesn’t want to see the writing on the wall," Smith wrote online at bioethics.com. "[D]eath on demand — the ultimate destination of the nihilistic euthanasia movement — has come to Europe." (BP)