Switzerland’s Justice Minister, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, says she wants to end the "death tourism" business by Dignitas, an agency which helps foreigners to commit suicide. The government has already announced that it will review the rules for legal assisted suicide. It will have to tread carefully. According to a poll taken last year, 53% of Swiss approve of assisted suicide if a patient is terminally ill. About 80% fully support the right to assisted suicide. Only about 15% are said to oppose it. However, 54% opposed the practice of “death tourism”.

"Today somebody can come to Switzerland and already the next day can have an assisted suicide through one of these assisted suicide organisations. This should not be possible," Ms Widmer-Schlumpf told the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. She proposes a cooling-off period between the first contact made with a suicide organisation and the suicide. During that time the person would receive counselling. She also called for assisted suicide groups to be financially transparent and to ensure that they had the necessary documentation. She criticised the use of helium for deaths, which Dignitas is promoting to circumvent government regulations. ~ SwissInfo, July 13