Pott, Murielle

Assisted suicide in Switzerland from the perspective of déprise - 2020.


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Taking advantage of a particular legislative context, two of the eight Right to Die Societies (ADMD) in Switzerland have developed protocols for assisted suicide for people suffering from “age-related disabling polypathologies.” They propose to their older members to consider suicide as a reasonable option, one that would enable them to avoid rehabilitation processes induced by difficult circumstances, such as loss of physical or mental integrity, reduced physical performance, or dependency. After explaining how an ADMD has gradually developed a socially and legally acceptable end-of-life plan, used mainly by older adults, we will show, through an emblematic case, how a process of déprise is linked to a suicide project, which could lead to a request for assisted suicide. More broadly, this article examines the possible construction of a social order in which death can become an enviable fate for the elderly and suicide a personal and sometimes even family project, making it possible to preserve one’s identity.