A suicide pod, causing a stir in Switzerland, may be used “very soon” for the first time, announced today by the organization The Last Resort, which is promoting it, without revealing further details at this stage.
“As soon as there is a specific person and everyone is informed about it, we can proceed and set the timeline,” said Florian Wille, the organization’s CEO and vice president, at a press conference in Zurich.
Medically assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland under very specific conditions. However, the country is currently in turmoil over this new invention that allows someone to end their life without a doctor’s assistance. It is a futuristic capsule called Sarco (from the word “sarcophagus”). The person using it can commit suicide by pressing a button that releases nitrogen into the chamber.
“If there are people queuing to use Sarco, it is very likely to happen very soon,” Wille predicted. “The exact time and place will be determined with that person,” he added.
According to The Last Resort, the sarcophagus could be used by the end of 2024.
However, “we are not telling you where, we are not telling you when, we are not telling you who, because we might jeopardize the death (sic) of the person who wishes to use Sarco,” insisted Dr. Fiona Stewart, a sociologist specializing in public health issues and an advisor to the organization’s board.
The chamber is the invention of Australian Philip Nitschke, a former doctor known for his controversial views on end-of-life matters. It looks like a small, violet cabin on wheels, so it can be easily transported.
Its potential use raises numerous legal and ethical issues in Switzerland, as the newspaper NZZ am Sonntag revealed that it might soon be used for the first time. In the canton of Valais, a preventive measure has been taken, temporarily banning the use of the chamber until “more specific information about its mechanism and operation” is available, as stated by deputy chief medical officer Cédric Décimoz.
At the Zurich press conference, The Last Resort mentioned that it has not communicated with the Valais authorities.
The purpose of the sarcophagus is to “de-medicalize assisted suicide,” explained Dr. Stewart, arguing that “death is not a medical event.”
