The proposal summed up in the sentence above is by Marta Frommelt (photo), a Brazilian who has lived for 27 years in the Principality of Liechtenstein, a sovereign micro state that lies between Switzerland and Austria and has Vaduz as its capital.

She became a Spiritist in 1975 and many years later founded the Allan Kardec Spiritist Group (LEAK-FL) in the city of Balzer, one of the 11 communes of the principality. In this interview, she speaks about suicide and the practice that became known in Switzerland as “death tourism”.

Why does Switzerland, which is known its beautiful Alps and delicious chocolates, allow the practice in the country of the “death tourism”?

That is a question that many people ask themselves. Statistics show that assisted suicide has been a choice predominantly of the higher income individuals, both from Switzerland and from other countries where that practice is illegal. Most of the Swiss have a very good quality of life and one of the world’s highest living expectancies: 85.4 for women and 81.4 for men. The public health system works well. The materialistic vision many of these people have lead them to believe that their life belongs to them only and that they can dispose of it if they feel it becomes “undignified”.

In most cases involving illnesses believed to be untreatable, old age comes with physical constraints and suffering, as well as fear of being sent to an old people’s home. People don’t want to rely on paid carers or to become a burden for their families and that’s what prompts them to look for an assisted suicide. In debates I have heard about this issue, I have heard people say they felt it would be unfair on their heirs to spend their money and assets on costly treatments that go over the maximum amount paid by private health companies.

Are only those who opt for assisted suicide guilty?

Everyone will be accountable for their share of guilt, acting directly or indirectly to exterminate a life. The organisations that offer this type of service publicise the message that each one has the right to dispose of their lives as they wish. These are some of the mottos you can find on the websites of those organisations in Switzerland: “Living with dignity is dying with dignity,” and “Make decisions about your life until the end”. The death industry can only flourish where the lack of faith and lack of knowledge of God’s laws may drive people to commit such a big mistake. These are usually men and women who have lived with dignity, who have worked, fought hard and have won many challenges in their lives. What they lack, however, is the strength, the courage and the humility to put themselves, at the end of their earthly lives, in the hands of their Creator. They prefer to make their own decision on how and when they will depart to what they believe is a journey of no-return.

What does Spiritism say about the argument of many, that all human beings have their free will and the power to decide their destiny?

The Gospel According to Spiritism warns that, when we finally live according to the Teachings of Jesus, we will control our free will and will be fully aware that above our free will reigns the sovereign will of God, the Creator of all beings and everything.

What can be done to deal with such barbarity? And how should we deal with this issue when discussing with atheists? What can we, Spiritists in European lands, work to help this battle in defence of life?

The first necessary step is the spiritualisation of each one. But that doesn’t happen for every one the same way. We know that pain is often the tool needed to shape us and make us improve. However, those committing suicide rebels in many cases, reject pain and put an end to their existences. We need, then, to pursue different avenues. Love is accessible to everyone, it is the universal language that approaches us to our fellow human beings. To use a direct approach doesn’t seem to be the best strategy, unless the person has a very good command of the local language and good knowledge of the main Spiritist books. That person will also need empathy to understand the reasons that have left the other person give up such a precious gift, which is life, going against the basic survival instincts that we all share. But we may be able to help in other ways. Bear in mind that people are always observing each other. They know we face a number of challenges as immigrants. And if they see us smiling, being happy and kind, despite all those problems, we will be helping somehow.

I know Brazilian men and women who work as carers for the elderly. Their testimonies of how they act would provide good material to write a practical guide for those dealing with matters of life and death. Also, we are offering more and more activities in our Spiritist Centres in the local language.

We need to invest more in the Spiritist education not only of adults, but especially of children and young people. Most Brazilians and Portuguese in Europe bring  up their children as bilinguals. That new generation will, once they learn about Spiritism, be able to pass on the Spiritist message in Europe. While we prepare them for life and for the task of disseminating Spiritism in the old continent, let us do our part by doing our best and showing the best part of us where we live.