Assisted suicide pod now legal in Switzerland offers ‘painless death’
- ‘Sarco machine’ floods capsule interior with nitrogen and reduces oxygen to help person die
- Pod clears legal reviews in Switzerland and is set to start operations sometime next year
The pod was created by a non-profit organisation called Exit International, which offers assisted suicide services. It dubbed the pod the “Sarco machine”.
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Philip Nitschke, found of Exit International, told local outlet the Swiss Info that the pod floods the inside with nitrogen before slowly reducing the oxygen levels to 1 per cent. Nitschke said the process takes less than 30 seconds and the person will feel disoriented before becoming unconscious.
“The person will get into the capsule and lie down. It’s very comfortable,” Nitschke told Swiss Info. “They will be asked a number of questions and when they have answered, they may press the button inside the capsule activating the mechanism in their own time.”
The pod cleared legal reviews and is set to start operations sometime next year, the Swiss Info reported.
Assisted suicide is legal some parts of the United States, including California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington state, Vermont and the District of Columbia.
In most countries like the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Canada, assisted suicide is only allowed under strict requirements, including whether the person has an incurable or terminal illness.
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Nitschke said the capsule offers users a peaceful death and can be transported to whichever town, “Idyllic setting” or location is desired.
“The whole thing takes about 30 seconds. Death takes place through hypoxia and hypocapnia, oxygen and carbon dioxide deprivation, respectively. There is no panic, no choking feeling,” Nitschke told Swiss Info.
The pod can be towed anywhere for the death, according to Nitschke, including “an idyllic outdoor setting or in the premises of an assisted-suicide organisation, for example”.
“There are two Sarco prototypes in existence so far, and the third Sarco is now being printed in the Netherlands,” he said. “If all goes well, the third machine should be ready for operation in Switzerland in 2022.”
