A Salvation Army nursing home in Neuchatel, Switzerland, is being forced to allow the killing of patients in their facility if they express a wish to die.
The mandate was issued even though the nursing home objects to assisted suicide for religious reasons.
The Salvation Army which owns the nursing home is an international Christian organization whose misson is focused on preaching “the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name without discrimination.”
Based on their Christian beliefs, the nursing home appealed the law allowing assisted suicide in charitable institutions. It was passed more than a year ago.
According to Swiss Radio In English, the nursing home said the law violated their religious beliefs and freedom of conscience.
However, a high court shot down their objection, saying patients must be allowed the freedom to decide when and how they want to die.
Now the nursing home must face a tough decision. It can avoid following the assisted suicide mandate by giving up its charitable status. But this would mean it would no longer receive state subsidies and therefore would be outside of state control.
The case in Switzerland has implications in America.
“Forcing medical people to breach their religious beliefs and be complicit in suicide/homicide is tyranny,” Bioethics expert Wesley J. Smith wrote in National Review,
“Eventually that authoritarianism will come here too if assisted suicide becomes normalized, just as the ACLU is suing Catholic hospitals to force them to violate the Church’s moral teachings around issues such as contraception and sterilization,” he said.
In the United States, five states have legalize assisted suicide. The measure is being cosidered in 24 other states and Washington, D.C.
