Estonian Supreme Court calls suicide a ‘fundamental right’

The Supreme Court in Estonia recently ruled that committing suicide is a fundamental “right” — a ruling that could open the door to legalized euthanasia in the country.

The ruling stems from a case in which a man named Paul Tammert was charged with providing a “suicide machine” he created himself. Anyone who wanted to commit suicide was able to pay Tammert to use the machine and kill themselves. According to ERR News, Tammert was charged with “prohibited economic activity and providing healthcare services without a license.”

In its ruling, the Court determined that helping someone end their life isn’t considered a “healthcare service,” therefore, the charges against him couldn’t stand. Per ERR News, the court also “emphasized that every competent individual has the right to end their life voluntarily. Criminal liability for assisting in such an act can only arise if the person is unable to carry it out themselves or lacks full understanding of the significance of their actions.”

READ: Police catch man who rented out homemade suicide chair used to kill two people

The court also called on lawmakers to establish a “legal framework to prevent potential abuses in the provision of such services.”

“The concern voiced by the prosecutor during the hearing is understandable — that if assistance in ending life becomes offered as a service, clear principles will be necessary, considering the extent of intervention in a person’s health and the need to prevent potential abuses. This would include establishing when such assistance may be provided, by whom, on what basis the necessity of the service would be determined and how the procedure would be carried out. The lack of clear principles could lead to undesirable consequences and expose the state to liability,” the ruling stated.

Signe Riisalo, head of the parliamentary Social Affairs Committee,  told ERR radio that the court’s decision has created difficulty for lawmakers.

“On one hand, some people expect the regulation of assisted dying, and perhaps even euthanasia, while on the other hand, others approach it with apprehension,” Riisalo said.

She predicted that it may be several years before the country’s regulations are changed.