Overview
- A study by Universitätsmedizin Halle reports that 27.8% of doctors said they were asked for help with suicide in 2024, up from 20.7% in 2013, showing a clear rise in patient requests.
- Federal statistics show overall suicide deaths in Germany have climbed to their highest level since 1998, with more than 11,000 people taking their lives in the past year.
- Three assisted‑suicide organizations told reporters that assisted deaths rose from about 350 in 2021 to over 1,200 in 2025, a figure journalists note may undercount unreported cases.
- The medical profession is deeply split on providing help: roughly one‑third would assist, one‑third refuse, and one‑third are undecided, with the share of undecided doctors rising from 18% to 32%.
- Experts and guideline authors urge lawmakers to close the legal void by requiring clear safeguards—such as assessment of free will by at least two independent specialists—to give clinicians legal certainty and protect vulnerable patients.