Switzerland to ‘soon’ use first suicide pod for assisted dying

Switzerland will “soon” use its first portable suicide pod that will allow a person to die without the requirement of medical supervision, an assisted dying group said.

The pod called Sarco, which is a futuristic-looking 3D-printed capsule, was first unveiled in 2019 for assisted suicide in Switzerland amid controversy. It works by filling its chamber with nitrogen and reducing oxygen levels rapidly once a button is activated from inside.

The process would allow the person to lose consciousness and die in approximately 10 minutes.

Assisted suicide has been legal in Switzerland since the 1940s, if performed by someone with no direct interest in the death. It has also made the country what some call a “death tourism” magnet, according to Reuters.

Florian Willet of The Last Resort, a newly formed organisation that offers assisted dying to people with “serious physical illness”, said in a press conference on Tuesday that the first use of Sarco will “take place pretty soon”.

No decisions have been made about the time, date, and place of the first assisted suicide. It is also not known who the first user would be.

But such details would be only made public once it is concluded as “we really don’t want a person’s desire for a peaceful passing [in] Switzerland to turn into a media circus”, said lawyer Fiona Stewart, who is on The Last Resort’s advisory board.

She said the first use of the pod would be this year.

The device has faced calls for a ban with opponents of it referring to Article 115 of the Swiss Criminal Code which says that assisting suicide is a crime if done for “selfish” reasons.

“Whoever, from selfish motives, induces another person to commit suicide or aids him in it, shall be confined in the penitentiary for not over five years, or in the prison, provided that the suicide has either been completed or attempted,” the code says.

A letter from Public Prosecutor Peter Stiche warned that there could be “serious consequences” for operators of the machine.

“There is no reliable information about the method of killing,” Mr Stiche told the Swiss newspaper Blick. “[It is] completely unclear who has control over which mechanical process during the dying process.”

The pod was invented by Philip Nitschke, 76, the founder of Exit International. He has been nicknamed “Dr Death” and accused of attempting to “glamourise” suicides.

He said once the user of the pod is inside, a voice says, “If you want to die press this button”.

Once the button is pressed the oxygen plummets from 21 per cent to 0.05 per cent in the air in less than 30 seconds.

“They will then stay in that state of unconsciousness for … around about five minutes before death will take place,” he said, according to South China Morning Post.

“Once you press that button, there’s no way of going back,” he said for those wanting to change their mind at the last minute.

The pods could be activated by a button, gesture, voice control, or blink of the eye. Those who cannot vocally or physically communicate due to severe illness or mobility issues can activate it through eye movement.

The process inside the pod is filmed and the footage is handed to a coroner.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.