Germany: Legal status of assisted suicide misunderstood by public

Despite a 2020 Federal Constitutional Court ruling confirming that physician-assisted suicide is legal in Germany, a significant gap exists between law and public perception. According to a survey by the Institute for Forsa on behalf of the German Society for Human Death (DGHS), while 84 percent of respondents support assisted suicide, 83 percent mistakenly believe it is a criminal offense.

Staff at the Rhein-Taunus Crematorium report a rising frequency of cases involving assisted suicide, necessitating adjustments to internal professional processes. Officials emphasize the importance of transparency regarding death certificates; although assisted suicide is recorded as a non-natural death, it does not imply unexplained circumstances, as the act is legally performed and documented.