A law introduced in Germany in 2015 that bans commercial services offering assisted suicide is unconstitutional, the Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday.
The court found that there was a right to “self-determined” suicide, the president of the court, Andreas Vosskuhle, said.
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This included the freedom to take one’s own life and to use the services provided by third parties, the court found.
The ruling thus throws out a new clause in Germany’s criminal code – Paragraph 217 – that criminalises “commercial support for suicide” and provides for a jail sentence of up to three years.
The ruling came in response to a case brought by terminally ill patients and their doctors.
dpa/NAN
