Why doctors have to call the police following legal assisted suicide

Warning: This article contains discussion of assisted dying which some readers may find distressing.

It’s mandatory for doctors assisting in suicide to contact Swiss police after confirming a person has ended their life - and here’s why.

Assisted suicide, deliberately helping a person to die, is illegal in the United Kingdom under the Suicide Act 1961, and is punishable by up to 14 years imprisonment.

However, the controversial event has been allowed in Switzerland since 1942, with Article 115 of the Swiss Criminal Code permitting assisted suicide as long as the assistance is provided for unselfish motives.

The Switzerland Alternative, a user's guide to Swiss end-of-life centres covering both UK and Swiss law, explained that once you end your life, a slew of events are set to take place.

Doctors who help in assisted dying cases must make a call to police officers after the event (Getty Stock Image)

One of which is that medical experts almost immediately inform the police of your death. Officials are apparently told of your passing via an emergency phone call.

This is so they can open a brief investigation into the death to discover whether any circumstances are suspicious or if any legal questions need to be answered.

As per the Swiss Penal Code, the police probe also aims to confirm that the individuals who assisted had purely altruistic motives.

Whether the person you travelled with needs to be present for the investigation differs depending on what service centre you use, the user guide explained.

For example, those who accompanied patients to a centre operated by Dignitas - a non-profit providing physician-assisted suicide to members with terminal illness, severe physical illness, or mental illness - are allowed to leave the Centre as ‘quickly’ as they want.

It’s understood that these relatives and friends are unlikely to be required for the police investigation.

But, in the event they are needed, Dignitas asks them not to leave the country until the following day.

Officers will only be called once Dignitas AS assistants are ‘confident’ that death has occurred, confirmed by checking the person’s pulse, breathing and pupil reflexes, as per the official website.

Employees will then offer their condolences to the people who accompanied the deceased person before picking up the phone.

Some centres require friends and family who accompanied the person to remain available for a police investigation (Getty Stock Image)

At end-of-life centres, Lifecircle and Athanasios, require anyone who has travelled with the patient to stay and be identified by officials, The Switzerland Alternative stated.

Pegasos, a non-profit group based in Basel, with a minimal-bureaucracy approach to assisted suicide, reportedly operate on a ‘sample’ basis, with experts also investigating a limited number of deaths.

It’s also important to know that if you've travelled from a country where assisted dying is criminalized, the Swiss police investigation may trigger a separate probe in your home country.

For advice, support, and more information, you can contact the nurse-led specialist team at Compassion in Dying via their helpline 0800 999 2434. You can also email them at [email protected].

If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.

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