In Switzerland, assisted dying requests have increased significantly in recent years: ” 86 cases recorded in 2000, 724 in 2014, 965 in 2015“, explains Dr Jacques Aubert, who works in a retirement home.
Why is this happening? Jacques Aubert explains that “through numerous injunctions, today’s society invites some seniors to take the decision, often very calmly, to end it all“.
Injunctions such as: “succeed in life “, “be independent“, “consider the point” of everything, “look after yourself“, “with the power of a Jungian collective unconscious, cause problems as you get older and appear to validate the pointlessness of continuing a life that would no longer meet these criteria “.
Quoting Jean-Paul Sartre, “everything comes to us from others; to be is to belong to someone“, he concludes that “an excessive loss of ties to other people appears to be a major factor in the malaise and suffering that triggers many assisted suicide requests”. “Shouldn’t we think about nurturing these bonds, rediscovering the simple pleasures of closeness, eating more often with our elderly relatives—in short, experiencing the exchange of privileged glances with our nearest and dearest?” he asks.
For further reading:
No assisted suicide for “unbearable suffering” according to Swiss medical ethics
Le temps, Jacques Aubert (18/12/18)