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 Exit, which provides lethal drugs to help the terminally ill die,
said on Wednesday its membership rose to 81,015 people in the
German- and Italian-speaking part of Switzerland up from 67,602 in
2013. It helped 583 people to die in 2014.
The organization attributed the rise to an aging population, rising
numbers of patients suffering from dementia, and a greater desire
among people to determine the course of their lives.
It also said the surge may have been prompted by media coverage of a
vote by members last year to extend its services to elderly people
who are not terminally ill, such as those suffering from
psychological or physical problems.
Assisted suicide is permitted in Switzerland if performed by someone
with no direct interest in the death. It is however illegal for
someone to deliver the lethal dose rather than just making it
available to the person who wishes to die.
Swiss organizations such as Exit and Dignitas have gained
international attention as a result. In 2009, prominent British
orchestra conductor Sir Edward Downes and his wife traveled to
Switzerland in order to end their lives through assisted suicide,
according to their family at the time.
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In Europe, euthanasia is legal only in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The French parliament is debating a bill that would let doctors put
terminally ill patients into "deep sedation" until they die.
(Reporting by Katharina Bart; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
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