Early projections in Zurich referendums show 80% are against proposals to outlaw 'suicide tourism'
Voters in Zurich have rejected proposed bans on assisted suicide and "suicide tourism", or foreigners travelling to Switzerland to receive help in ending their lives.
Early projections showed both initiatives had been rejected in local referendums by about 80%, the Swiss news agency SDA reported. There are about 200 assisted suicides each year in Zurich.
Assisted suicide has been allowed in Switzerland since 1941 if performed by a non-physician who has no vested interest in the death. Euthanasia, or "mercy killing", is legal only in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the US state of Oregon.
Many terminally ill foreigners – particularly from Germany, France and Britain – travel to Switzerland to kill themselves, taking advantage of rules on suicide which are among the world's most liberal.
But a rise in foreigners seeking to end their lives in Switzerland, and a study showing that more and more people seeking assisted suicides in the country do not suffer from a terminal illness, have provoked heated debate.
The Swiss government has said it is looking to change the law on assisted suicide to make sure it is used only as a last resort by the terminally ill, and to limit "suicide tourism''.
Right-to-die group Exit has agreed rules to govern assisted suicide with prosecutors in Zurich in the hope they may eventually form the basis of national regulation.
Foreigners are not explicitly excluded under the new rules, but a Swiss doctor who prescribes the deadly anaesthetic must have met the person twice over a period of time to be sure of their wishes.