Swiss law does not prohibit assisting suicide as long as the motive is altruistic. Also, it does not give physicians a special status in assisting suicide. This means that whether assisted voluntary death should ever be allowed has been discussed without exclusive reference to physicians. Physicians have separately debated their role at the end of life.
The few existing data do suggest public support for assisted suicide. In a 1999 survey of the Swiss public, four fifths agreed that "a person suffering from an incurable disease and who is in intolerable physical and psychological suffering has the right to ask for death and to obtain help for this purpose." Legislation to allow euthanasia was favoured by 71%.
However, resources for palliative care in Switzerland are not yet available to all terminally ill patients. This remains a strong argument against decriminalising euthanasia.
Despite acceptance of assisted suicide, support for palliative care is growing, as end of life issues are kept in the public eye, say the authors. Further research on public attitudes and on practices at the end of life in this unique situation is important, they conclude.