Christian care homes denied euthanasia conscience protections in Zurich

Christian care homes in the Swiss city of Zurich will no longer be afforded conscience protections from offering euthanasia on their premises.

Currently, there about 30 private Christian and other institutions which conscientiously object to people under their care being euthanised. However, residents of Zurich recently voted to strip away conscience protections from faith-based care homes, retirement homes, and hospitals.

Under the recent assisted suicide Bill at Westminster, which was rejected by Parliament, no provision was made for institutional conscientious objection. Hospices and care homes would have been forced to close or help patients to kill themselves if the Bill had become law.

Conflict of values

Daniel Milli, Director of the Haus St Otmar care home in Zurich, said the referendum result will cause a “fundamental conflict of values” for them.

He explained that their mission is “to accompany people until the natural end of their lives”, adding: “Every human being has an inalienable dignity – regardless of age, illness, need for care, origin or religion.”

He commented that while a person’s individual view on euthanasia is important, “private, value-based institutions also have an ethical attitude and a responsibility towards all residents and staff.”

Ethical debate

Switzerland-based journalist Katrin Oller stated that Christian care homes “are now obliged to tolerate” euthanasia if they wish to continue to operate.

She commented: “the people of Zurich attach greater importance to self-determination than to the freedom of individual homes to prohibit euthanasia”.

Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Maria Bonnemain explained that the result “does not end the ethical debate.

“Rather, it obliges us to stand up even more resolutely for a culture of respect, care and care – for dying with dignity that is not dominated by the offer of death, but supported by loving, competent and reliable support for the suffering, the sick and the dying, their relatives and caregivers until the end.”