Ethik und Medizin: Suizidhilfe in Deutschland - Erste Leitlinie erwartet

In Germany, a new set of guidelines is being proposed to address the growing number of assisted suicides. The guidelines, titled "Dealing with requests for assistance in suicide," aim to provide healthcare and social workers with scientifically informed recommendations and a framework for discussing suicide prevention with their patients.

The guidelines, to be presented by the University of Halle (Saale), will mark the first interdisciplinary guidelines on the topic, focusing on understanding death wishes, providing informed advice, and evaluating the conditions for a self-responsible suicide decision.

The guidelines will consist of 45 recommendations, developed by experts from medicine, nursing, and patient organizations. Active euthanasia is illegal in Germany, but the termination of life-sustaining measures at the patient's will is permitted, as well as providing assistance for suicide. However, the commercial provision of suicide assistance is banned, as it violated the right to self-determined death, according to the Federal Constitutional Court in 2020.

If the suicide decision is freely made, people have the legal right to seek assistance for suicide. The healthcare sector has repeatedly called for clear and reliable regulations on suicide assistance, with proposed legislation for a legal framework for euthanasia being debated in the Bundestag in 2023 but not receiving a majority.

In September, the German Jurists' Day advocated for a law on palliative care, and the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften highlighted the lack of specific standards for managing requests for assistance in suicide from medical, ethical, and legal perspectives. The guidelines aim to address these issues, particularly in the evaluation of freedom of responsibility and the provision of information on alternative courses of action.

In 2025, more than 1,200 assisted suicides were reported in Germany, with the actual number possibly being significantly higher. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 11,334 people in Germany took their own lives in 2025, a 9.3% increase compared to the previous year. Suicides accounted for 1.1% of all causes of death, similar to previous years.