Handtke Violet, Bretschneider Wiebke
Institute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Institute for Biomedical Ethics, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 28, Basel, 4056, Switzerland.
J Public Health Policy. 2015 Feb;36(1):67-72. doi: 10.1057/jphp.2014.43. Epub 2014 Oct 30.
Assisted suicide (AS) is a controversial practice with which physicians and nurses are confronted more and more often. In Switzerland, it is available for Swiss residents and in certain cases for foreigners. Prisoners meet the same prerequisites for AS as the general population and should therefore be eligible for it. Ethical issues, such as informed choice and the autonomy of prisoners, and organizational questions need to be addressed. They must not lead to a denial of this practice. Even though prisons constitute a special area of work for medical staff, it is important to address the possibility of AS in prison openly. This can raise awareness of the difficulties health-care professionals face working in closed institutions.
协助自杀是一种备受争议的行为，医生和护士越来越频繁地面临这一问题。在瑞士，瑞士居民可选择协助自杀，在某些情况下外国人也可以。囚犯满足与普通民众相同的协助自杀前提条件，因此应有资格选择。需要解决一些伦理问题，如囚犯的知情选择和自主权，以及组织方面的问题。这些问题绝不能导致对这种行为的否定。尽管监狱是医务人员工作的一个特殊领域，但公开探讨监狱中协助自杀的可能性很重要。这可以提高人们对医疗保健专业人员在封闭机构工作所面临困难的认识。
