To talk about suicide is not an easy task, even in a modern and open
society. It is even more difficult for a judge to deal with this issue. More
difficult still is the task of deciding such a case on an international level, far
from the realities of the facts and the suffering of the people concerned.1
The moral and ethical considerations may vary considerably from one country
to another. The judge may face a broad range of situations, from cases
where she must decide whether the authorities did enough to prevent a
fragile person from committing suicide, to cases where she must decide
whether the authorities were entitled, or even obliged, to facilitate the suicide
of a person willing to die.