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🚨 URGENT UPDATE: Zurich Canton Advances Mandate for Assisted Suicide in All Retirement Homes and Hospitals A significant and concerning development is unfolding in Switzerland's largest canton. On February 2, 2026, the Zurich Cantonal Council voted in favor of a counter-proposal to a popular initiative titled “Self-determination at the end of life in retirement and nursing homes too.” This measure would require all retirement homes, nursing facilities, hospitals, and rehabilitation clinics in the canton to permit assisted suicide on their premises. Key points from reliable reporting (including swissinfo.ch): • The policy would oblige facilities to tolerate assisted dying, effectively removing previous restrictions and opt-outs; including for faith-based or religiously affiliated institutions that have historically declined to participate. • Exclusions apply to psychiatric facilities and prisons, where the council rejected inclusion. • This advances beyond a 2022 cantonal decision that limited assisted suicide to only certain municipally mandated care homes. • A final binding vote on both the popular initiative and this counter-proposal is still pending in a future session. Switzerland already maintains one of the world's most permissive frameworks for assisted suicide, including access for non-residents (often termed "suicide tourism"). This proposal institutionalizes the practice across the entire elder-care and hospital system in Zurich, raising profound ethical questions about: • The protection of vulnerable elderly individuals who may face subtle pressures during periods of depression, dependency, or resource constraints. • The erosion of medical conscience rights and institutional autonomy, particularly for those rooted in convictions that life must be preserved. • The broader cultural shift toward viewing assisted death as a normalized, expected option in care settings rather than an exceptional last resort. Critics warn this represents a further step down a well-documented slippery slope seen in other jurisdictions, where initial limits on eligibility and application steadily expand. Elderly residents in Zurich's care system deserve comprehensive palliative care, compassionate support, and protection—not a mandated pathway to assisted suicide in the very places meant to sustain and comfort them through life's final chapter. This matter warrants close attention. The outcome in Zurich could influence similar debates elsewhere, including in the United States and other European nations currently weighing assisted dying legislation. We must continue advocating for the sanctity of life, robust palliative options, and safeguards for the most vulnerable among us. 🔗 For full context, see the primary reporting: https://www.swissinfo.ch/.../zurich-cantonal.../90874500