German lawmakers prepare draft law to regulate assisted suicide

BERLIN

A cross-party group of lawmakers on Tuesday announced they will submit a draft bill to the German parliament to regulate assisted suicide.

The move comes after German authorities turned down hundreds of applications by chronically ill people, who requested medication for assisted suicide.

Liberal lawmaker Katrin Helling-Plahr said the draft law aims at helping patients who continue to suffer due to legal uncertainty about assisted suicide.

“This draft law is a big step. It will create a clear legal framework that guarantees and secures the individual right to self-determined death,” she told a news conference in Berlin.

The draft law would permit doctors to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients under certain conditions.

Helling-Plahr said the draft law also envisages setting up state-approved counseling centers across the country for patients who need advice.

These centers would provide psychological support, inform such patients about alternative treatment options, as well as medical and social support opportunities, according to the proposed legislation.

The cross-party draft bill was prepared by seven lawmakers, including Green Party lawmaker Renate Kunast, Social Democrat Party lawmaker Helge Lindh, and Left Party lawmaker Petra Sitte.