‘Assisted dying is a human rights issue’

The Zurich-based clinic was founded in 1998 and so far 2,550 people have travelled there from across the world to legally end their lives.

Deputy Gavin St Pier, who is leading a requete calling for a vote in favour of assisted dying in principle, said he knew of two islanders who had travelled to Zurich to use the clinic, although the island was not looking to replicate its service.

He did note, however, that we could learn from the clinic about safeguards, protections and protocols.

Dignitas said its main focus was to bring the Swiss option of legal assisted dying to other countries.

‘In our 20 years of legal and political efforts, we have been involved with the UK Select Committee of Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill and welcomed a delegation of the House of Lords, we gave evidence to representative of the Canadian, Victorian-Australian and other parliaments, wrote numerous submissions for public inquiries and indulged in several Swiss and international court cases,’ it read.

‘Notably, we arranged and financed the case which led the European Court of Human Rights, in 2011, to acknowledge the right of a person to decide on the time and manner of his or her own end of life to be protected by Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Combined freedom of choice, self-determination and personal responsibility is our credo.

‘Enhancing and improving end-of-life options is a means to protect the sanctity of life, the right to life as enshrined in article two of the ECHR. It has a considerable positive effect on an individual’s well-being in difficult times, and on public health. Moreover, it is an important element to reduce the high number of violent, lonely suicide attempts, of which many fail with tragic consequences for the individual and third persons, as well as negative financial impact on public costs.

‘Due to our experience and our society’s aims, we allow ourselves to contact you and to offer you our know-how in view of developing a legal regime to permit choice for assisted dying in Guernsey.’

Deputy St Pier said understanding of Dignitas’ role as an advocacy group for self-determination was ‘very limited’.

‘Those who oppose empowering the individual to make decisions in relation to their own end of life care often describe your role as the provider of a “clinic”.

‘In any event, those of us campaigning for more end-of-life choice in Guernsey are not seeking to replicate Dignitas.

‘It is my understanding that in the last 10 years, two Guernsey residents have travelled to Switzerland to enable you to support their end-of-life choices. Consequently, we share your objective that giving individuals more choice will mitigate their need to travel to Zurich. Further, like you, we see this as fundamentally a human rights issue.

‘If we are successful in our debate we will then embark on an extensive period of consultation during which, I am sure, your offer to engage would be welcome.

‘In developing an appropriate regime for our own community, we would obviously want to learn from the experience of other jurisdictions, including your own, particularly with regard to the safeguards, protections and protocols that guarantee a safe regime,’ he said.