SRF in­fo: Are­na

During the Corona pandemic, the Federal Council took some drastic measures with the aim of protecting the Swiss population from the virus. One of these was the certificate requirement. Against this background, the popular initiative "For freedom and physical integrity" was submitted by a committee around the Freedom Movement Switzerland.

Initiative committee wants legal certainty

The initiators demand that the consent of the person concerned must be obtained for interventions in physical and mental integrity. Everyone should be able to freely decide what happens to their body and politicians and the pharmaceutical industry should not decide whether, for example, vaccinations or implantable microchips are inserted into the body. In addition, according to the text of the initiative, a person who refuses an intervention may in future neither be punished nor disadvantaged professionally or socially.

According to the initiative committee, if the vote is yes, parliament could create legal certainty and define by law what physical and mental integrity means. In addition, fundamental rights should no longer be made dependent on vaccination status, for example.

No camp warns of unclear consequences

The no camp emphasizes that the fundamental right to physical and mental integrity already applies today according to the Federal Constitution - including for vaccinations. The federal government can restrict the fundamental right, but only for very important reasons and under very specific conditions, say the opponents of the freedom initiative. They also warn of the consequences that the initiative could have for the work of the judiciary and police, for example for entry examinations in the penal system.

Is physical and mental integrity already a fundamental right in Switzerland? Or is more legal certainty needed? And would a yes to the initiative have consequences for the work of the police and judiciary?

On these questions, Sandro Brotz welcomes the following supporters of the initiative in the "voting arena" on May 10, 2024:

- Richard Koller, President of the Freedom Movement Switzerland and initiator;

- Philipp Gut, journalist and SVP member; and
- Pirmin Schwander, Council of States SVP/SZ.

The following are opposing the initiative:

- Beat Flach, National Councillor GLP/AG and co-president of the No Committee;

- Daniel Jositsch, Councillor of States SP/ZH; and
- Maya Bally, National Councillor Die Mitte/AG.