Scholarlink

Introduction <p>According to the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court of 26&#xa0;February 2020, assisted suicide is legal if it is based on a&#xa0;freely made decision (“Freiverantwortlichkeit”) by the person concerned. To date, there have been few empirical studies on the current practice of dealing with requests for assisted suicide in Germany.</p> Methods <p>Since 1&#xa0;November 2024, case reports on (requests for) assisted suicide and on the practice of assisted suicide can be entered anonymously on an electronic platform. Descriptive analysis of quantitative data and content analysis of qualitative data.</p> Results <p>Of the 206 entries, 133 case reports on (requests for) assisted suicide could be included for further analysis. Concerns about loss of self-determination (<i>n</i> = 33) and independence (<i>n</i> = 20) were the most frequently cited reasons for requesting assisted suicide. In 22&#xa0;case reports, information was provided on assisted suicide, and in a&#xa0;further 18&#xa0;case reports, on planned assisted suicide. Doctors and employees of euthanasia organizations were most frequently involved in assessing decisional capacity and further criteria for legal assisted suicide. In seven case reports, it was stated that two independent persons were involved in the assessment. With regard to existing needs, clear legal regulations (<i>n</i> = 33) and professional guidelines (<i>n</i> = 20) were most frequently mentioned.</p> Discussion <p>Based on the data collected, substantive and procedural aspects of possible guideline recommendations for assessing “Freiverantwortlichkeit” and providing counseling in cases of requests for assisted suicide are discussed.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Assistenz bei der Selbsttötung in Deutschland – erste Auswertung von Daten einer Berichtsplattform und mögliche Implikationen für die Entwicklung einer Leitlinie

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月9日

查看全文
  • Jan Schildmann,
  • Thomas Pollmächer,
  • Alfred Simon,
  • Sabine Sommerlatte,
  • Georg Marckmann

摘要

Introduction

According to the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court of 26 February 2020, assisted suicide is legal if it is based on a freely made decision (“Freiverantwortlichkeit”) by the person concerned. To date, there have been few empirical studies on the current practice of dealing with requests for assisted suicide in Germany.

Methods

Since 1 November 2024, case reports on (requests for) assisted suicide and on the practice of assisted suicide can be entered anonymously on an electronic platform. Descriptive analysis of quantitative data and content analysis of qualitative data.

Results

Of the 206 entries, 133 case reports on (requests for) assisted suicide could be included for further analysis. Concerns about loss of self-determination (n = 33) and independence (n = 20) were the most frequently cited reasons for requesting assisted suicide. In 22 case reports, information was provided on assisted suicide, and in a further 18 case reports, on planned assisted suicide. Doctors and employees of euthanasia organizations were most frequently involved in assessing decisional capacity and further criteria for legal assisted suicide. In seven case reports, it was stated that two independent persons were involved in the assessment. With regard to existing needs, clear legal regulations (n = 33) and professional guidelines (n = 20) were most frequently mentioned.

Discussion

Based on the data collected, substantive and procedural aspects of possible guideline recommendations for assessing “Freiverantwortlichkeit” and providing counseling in cases of requests for assisted suicide are discussed.