News
Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences SAMS
Consultation: Guidelines «Determination of Death with Regard to Organ Transplantation»
Switzerland is changing its organ donation system by adopting an extended presumed consent model. The new legislation requires revisions to the SAMS guidelines. The Academy is taking this opportunity to comprehensively revise the 2017 guidelines. The subcommittee responsible has examined the new medical developments and updated and expanded the guidelines accordingly. The three-month public consultation period begins today. Feedback can be submitted until 19 September 2025.
Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences SATW
Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences SAMS
News
Organ donation after assisted suicide: Legal opinion for informed debate
Can organ donation take place in a Swiss hospital following assisted suicide? Both practices are legally permitted, widely accepted in society, and are already carried out in Switzerland. However, their combination raises new ethical and legal questions. In 2025, the Central Ethics Committee (CEC) of the SAMS published a position statement on the ethical aspects of this issue. Today, the SAMS is publishing a commissioned legal opinion on the subject. Both documents are available on our website.
Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences SAMS
News
Animal experimentation: ECAE Statement on 3R research
The Ethics Committee for Animal Experimentation (ECAE) has issued a statement on parliamentary initiative 21.426 by Katja Christ, «More resources and incentives for 3R research to accelerate the development of alternatives to animal testing».