Capsules that look like futuristic coffins can be used legally in Switzerland for painless assisted suicide, local media reported.
The Sarco capsule was developed by the Australian company Exit International by Dr. Philip Nietzsche, who told Swiss Info that he had sought legal advice in Switzerland and received assurances that "there is no legal issue" for its use.
The approximately 1.300 people who underwent assisted suicide in Switzerland last year received prescription injections of high-dose pentobarbital, a respiratory barbiturate also used for animal euthanasia.
The Sarco system is not substance-based. When the user feels ready, he presses a button and the airtight capsule fills with nitrogen gas, which disperses oxygen and reduces its concentration from 20% in ambient air to just 1%.
In the absence of oxygen and carbon dioxide, the user will feel "slightly disoriented," perhaps "slightly euphoric," before losing consciousness and dying in about 30 seconds, says Dr. Nietzsche.
Sarco capsule is made with a three-dimensional printer (Exit International)
Euthanasia, which is the end of life with immediate medical intervention, is illegal in Switzerland, but assisted suicide, that is, suicide by means provided by third parties, is allowed if the person helping the suicide is not selfishly motivated.
Assisted suicide is allowed in several other countries, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Canada, but the rules vary from case to case. Almost all of these countries allow it only in adults suffering from incurable diseases in the final stage, or when there is "unbearable pain or suffering". Switzerland, on the other hand, allows it at all ages without requiring a specific diagnosis.
"Unexpectedly, we hope to be able to make Sarco available in Switzerland next year," said the founder of Exit International, which has no affiliation with Switzerland-assisted suicide agency Exit, along with the better-known Dignitas.
A total of three Sarco capsules have been manufactured to date using three-dimensional printing technology. The first is on display at the Museum of Funeral Culture in Kassel, Germany, the second was deemed unsatisfactory and the third is now being completed in the Netherlands to be sent to Switzerland.
Dr. Nietzsche even states that his ultimate goal is to "de-medicate" death and for this reason he would like to abolish the medical examination required to assess the mental state of patients and provide consent before the last step.
"Our goal is to develop an artificial intelligence system that assesses mental abilities […] The user will complete an online test and receive a code to access Sarco" he said.
He acknowledged, however, that the idea was accepted "with great skepticism, especially by psychiatrists".
in.gr