Swiss ‘suicide capsule’ proponent suggests he’ll use euthanasia device as creators say there’s NO legal obstacle, reveal new details: ‘Once the button is pressed, there’s no going back’
A German scientist behind a Swiss “suicide capsule” designed to perform euthanasia has said he “will probably use the capsule someday” as he defended the device at a meeting of a press conference Today.
According to the company behind the Sarco, Exit Switzerland, the euthanasia patient inside could press a button and die “within seconds.”
The suitcase, which looks like something out of a science fiction movie and has been called the “Tesla of euthanasia,” is filled with nitrogen to deprive the occupant of the trunk of oxygen, causing the patient to become unconscious before dying.
According to Swiss media, authorities in the Swiss cantons of Schaffhausen and Valais have banned the device and warned that anyone who helps someone use the pods could face a prison sentence. reports.
But scientist Florian Willet, 47, said the capsule had undergone extensive instrument testing, while lawyer Fiona Stewart said the device was not banned under Swiss law despite individual cantons issuing bans.
Willet later added that he would ‘probably use the Sarco myself rather than spend my last days in a miserable condition while seriously ill’.
Its inventor, controversial euthanasia advocate Dr Philip Nitschke, claims his invention could allow users to die quickly and painlessly, but warned: ‘Once the button is pushed, there is no going back.’
Fiona Stewart, Advisory Board Member and COO of ‘Last Resort’, a Swiss non-profit human rights organization focused on assisted suicide, presents the Sarco suicide capsule in Zurich on July 17, 2024
This photo shows Sarco’s suicide capsule, during a media event
The 3D-printed Sarco suicide machine, which resembles a coffin, can be activated from inside by the person who intends to die, filling the capsule with nitrogen, causing the hypoxic death of the occupant.
Australian doctor Philip Nitschke (R), founder of the euthanasia organization Exit International, speaks next to Florian Willet
Fiona Stewart (left), Advisory Board Member and COO of ‘Last Resort’, a Swiss non-profit human rights organization focused on assisted suicide, presents the Sarco suicide capsule in Zurich on July 17, 2024
This photo shows Sarco’s suicide capsule, during a media event
Public prosecutor Peter Sticher warned of “serious consequences” for Nitschke for “inciting and complicity in suicide for selfish reasons.”
Sticher wrote in a letter obtained by Swiss media: ‘There is no reliable information about the method of murder.
‘(It is) completely unclear who has control over which mechanical process during the dying process.’
According to the public prosecutor’s office in Schaffhausen, it is impossible to determine who is responsible for the murder according to Article 115 of the Cantonal Criminal Code. That is why they have blocked the introduction of the device.
The ban came after Nitschke revealed on an online forum on June 10 that Sarco would be sent to Switzerland “within weeks.”
He said, ‘The machine can be dragged anywhere to prevent death.
‘This could be, for example, at an idyllic outdoor location, or on the grounds of an organisation that offers assistance with suicide.’
While the Australian researcher claims his device gives people the chance to end their lives in a “peaceful” way, pro-life groups warn the sleek, futuristic-looking pods “glorify suicide”.
Sources told Swiss media that Exit Switzerland has largely completed preparations for the introduction of the pods and that a candidate for the first euthanasia has been selected.
It is unclear who the patient is, and Dr. Nitschke and his team have neither confirmed nor denied the reports.
In an interview with MailOnline last year, Dr Nitschke explained how his invention works.
‘The person climbs into the machine, is asked three questions and answers verbally: ‘Who are you?’, ‘Where are you?’ and ‘Do you know what happens if you press the button?’
‘And when they answer those questions verbally, the software turns on the power and the button can be pressed.
‘And if they press the button, they die very quickly.
The Sarco, short for sarcophagus, would allow the euthanasia patient inside to press a button and die “within seconds,” according to the company behind it, Exit Switzerland
Australian euthanasia activist Philip Nitschke, the man behind the Sarco
An early version of the Sarco Pod, which can be operated internally and works by lowering the oxygen level. No one has used it yet. The final prototype is in the final stages of preparation
Australian euthanasia advocate Philip Nitschke is a former physician and head of the voluntary euthanasia campaign Exit International
“When you climb into Sarco, the oxygen level is 21 percent, but after you press the button, it takes 30 seconds for the oxygen level to drop to less than 1 percent,” he said.
The doctor’s plans to use Sarco for the first time have sparked outrage from pro-life organizations, including CARE.
James Mildred, director of engagement, said: ‘Philip Nitschke’s plan has been condemned by a wide range of commentators.
‘Many people feel that this trivializes or even glorifies suicide.
“We believe that suicide is a tragedy that good societies try to prevent under all circumstances. There are ethical ways to help people that do not involve the destruction of life.”
The makers of Sarco reported in 2021 that the drug had passed legal scrutiny in Switzerland. There, assisted suicide is legal and hundreds of people use the services of organizations such as Dignitas and Exit (a separate group from Dr. Nitschke’s) every year.
But Kerstin Noëlle Vokinger, a professor of law and medicine at the University of Zurich, said earlier that Sarco may need to be certified under the country’s Medical Devices Act, but that is not the case.
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