Switzerland is one of the few countries where medically diagnosed suicide is permitted. It turns out that the process should be… safe, however that might sound.
The first known use of the device resulted in multiple arrests and officials stating that state safety regulations had been violated. The 3D-printed Sarco Pod capsule releases nitrogen gas at the touch of a button. It was created by a group called The Last Resort, which consists of a "small international collective of human rights advocates (lawyers, scientists, medical professionals)." The Sarco capsule is designed to put its occupant to sleep in seconds using nitrogen gas. The gas quickly reduces the oxygen level in the container until the individual dies. The entire process takes just a few minutes.
The container is equipped with wheels and designed to be mobile, allowing users to transport it to locations of their choice. The experience (if one can call it that) provided by the device is considered relatively calm and easy. The creator of the device, Australian doctor Philip Nitschke, compared it to the sensation a person might feel on an airplane with a cabin depressurization:
“We know from people who survived [a plane incident] that it doesn't feel like suffocation. The person just continues to breathe. After about half a minute, individuals begin to feel disoriented. They don’t really understand what is happening to them. This is often accompanied by a feeling of mild euphoria. And then they simply fall asleep.”
The Sarco Pod received legal approval for public use in Switzerland back in 2021, but has sparked controversy since then. It was first used on Monday when an American woman ended her life in a rural area near the border with Germany. The Last Resort announced the death in a brief note on their website. Nitschke reported on social media that the suicide was an “idyllic, peaceful death in a Swiss forest.”
However, the initial use of the device seems to have been a complete disaster for all involved. As of Monday, several individuals were arrested in connection with the woman's death. The local prosecutor's office has begun an investigation into possible incitement and aiding in suicide. It's still unclear who was detained and what exactly went wrong.
Swiss Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider informed the country's parliament that the device does not meet state safety requirements and consequently cannot be commercially used. What the government means and how a device intended for the life-threatening purpose could be safe remains unspecified.
Source: Gizmodo
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