A German scientist behind a Swiss ‘suicide capsule’ designed to carry out assisted dying has declared he will ‘probably one day use it’ as he defended the device at a press conference today.
The Sarco, short for sarcophagus, would enable the euthanasia patient inside it to press a button and die ‘within seconds’, according to the company behind it, Exit Switzerland.
The case – which looks like something out of a sci-fi film and has been described as the ‘Tesla of euthanasia’ – fills with nitrogen to starve the occupant of oxygen, rendering the patient unconscious before they die.
Authorities in Switzerland’s Schaffhausen and Valais Cantons have issued bans on the device and warned that anyone assisting someone to use the pods could face jail time, according to Swiss media reports.
But scientist Florian Willet, 47, said the capsule had undergone extensive instrument testing, while lawyer Fiona Stewart said the device is not prohibited under Swiss law, in spite of individual cantons issuing bans.
Willet later added he ‘will probably use the Sarco myself instead of living through my last days in a miserable state while seriously ill’.
Its creator, controversial assisted dying advocate Dr Philip Nitschke, claims his invention could allow users to die swiftly and painlessly, but warned: ‘Once the button is pressed, there is no way back.’
Fiona Stewart, Member of the Advisory Board and COO of the ‘Last Resort’, a Switzerland’s human rights non-profit association focused on assisted suicide, presents the Sarco suicide capsule in Zurich on July 17, 2024
This photograph shows the Sarco suicide capsule, during a media event
The 3-D printed coffin-like Sarco suicide machine, can be activated from the inside by the person intending to die, by filling the capsule with nitrogen, which induces hypoxic death to the occupant
Australian doctor Philip Nitschke (R), founder of the euthanasia organization Exit International, speaks next to Florian Willet
Fiona Stewart (L), Member of the Advisory Board and COO of the ‘Last Resort’, a Switzerland’s human rights non-profit association focused on assisted suicide, presents the Sarco suicide capsule in Zurich on July 17, 2024
This photograph shows the Sarco suicide capsule, during a media event
Public Prosecutor Peter Sticher warned of ‘serious consequences’ for Nitschke for ‘inducement and aiding and abetting suicide for selfish reasons’.
In a letter obtained by Swiss media, Sticher said: ‘There is no reliable information about the method of killing.
‘[It is] completely unclear who has control over which mechanical process during the dying process.’
Prosecutors in Schaffhausen say that under section 115 of the canton’s penal code, it would be impossible to establish who was responsible for the killing and as a result blocked the device’s introduction.
The ban followed after Nitschke revealed in an online forum on June 10 that Sarco’s deployment in Switzerland was expected ‘in the next few weeks.’
He said: ‘The machine can be towed anywhere for the death.
‘It can be in an idyllic outdoor setting or on the premises of an assisted-suicide organisation, for example.’
While the Australian researcher claims that his device would give people the chance to end their lives in a ‘peaceful’ way, pro-life groups have warned that the sleek, furturistic looking pods ‘glamorise suicide’.
Sources told Swiss media that Exit Switzerland’s preparations to introduce the pods were largely complete, and said a candidate for the first euthanisation had been selected.
It is unclear who that 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 will climb into the machine, they will be asked three questions and they will answer verbally – ‘Who are you?’, ‘Where are you?’ and ‘Do you know what happens if you press the button?’
‘And if they answer those questions verbally, the software then switches the power on so that the button can then be pressed.
‘And if they press the button they will die very quickly.
The Sarco, short for sarcophagus, would enable the euthanasia patient inside it 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 reducing oxygen levels. No one has yet used it. The final prototype is in the finishing stages of being prepared
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 per cent but after you press the button it takes 30 seconds for the oxygen to drop to less than 1 per cent,’ he said.
The doctor’s plans to use Sarco for the first time caused uproar from ‘pro-life’ organisations, including CARE.
James Mildred, its director of engagement, said: ‘Philip Nitschke’s device has been condemned by a broad range of commentators.
‘Many people feel that it trivialises, and even glamourises, suicide.
‘We believe that suicide is a tragedy that good societies seek to prevent in every circumstance. There are ethical ways to help human beings that don’t involve the destruction of life.’
Sarco’s creators said in 2021 that it had passed legal review in Switzerland, where assisted suicide is legal and hundreds of people use the services of organisations such as Dignitas and Exit (a separate group to that of Dr Nitschke) every year.
But Kerstin Noëlle Vokinger, a Professor of Law and Medicine at the University of Zurich, said previously that Sarco may need to be certified under the country’s medical devices act, which it is not.
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