The number of Swiss nationals who have died by assisted suicide in Switzerland increased by 700 per cent - from 43 in 1998 to 297 in 2009. These figures do not include people from abroad who have travelled to Switzerland to die.
Both Oregon and Switzerland have small populations compared with the UK.
Because assisted suicide is not legal in Britain, some 15 to 20 Britons travel to Switzerland to die each year. If it were legal here, campaigners say, there would now be over 1,000 assisted suicides in Britain each year.
Those in favour of assisted suicide continue to campaign for it to be legalised in the UK. When more attempts come before Parliament later this year, it is sincerely to be hoped that parliamentarians will bear these figures in mind.
