"Tesla of assisted suicide" Canton of Schaffhausen bans use of Sarco death capsule

The Sarco suicide capsule by controversial activist Philip Nitschke was soon to help a person in Switzerland to die voluntarily. Now the canton of Schaffhausen is threatening the operators with legal action.

Australian activist Philip Nitschke's euthanasia capsule is unlikely to be used in Switzerland, writes Blick. According to a report in the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung " last week, the first use was already announced this month. However, the public prosecutor's office of the canton of Schaffhausen has threatened the operator with criminal proceedings if the capsule is deployed in the canton, according to Blick. If the capsule is used, "serious legal consequences are imminent", the newspaper quoted from the letter from the first Schaffhausen public prosecutor, Peter Sticher, to the providers. In the opinion of the public prosecutor's office, the capsule raises criminally relevant issues that could be punishable by up to five years in prison.

Swiss euthanasia organizations will not use the capsule, as Jean-Jacques Bise, Co-President of Exit Switzerland, told "Le Temps". The method of ending life in the capsule using nitrogen is not dignified, said Bise.

According to last week's NZZ report, it is surprising that Sarco could have been used in Switzerland in the near future. This is because the Swiss partners of Nitschke's organization, Exit International, had long since withdrawn due to the unclear legal situation. According to the NZZ, Nitschke founded a subsidiary called Exit Switzerland specifically for the Sarco premiere in Switzerland. However, this has nothing to do with Exit Switzerland.

According to the NZZ, it is no coincidence that the Sarco resembles a futuristic means of transportation: according to the designer, it helps patients on a "final journey", during which they can see the sky through the transparent lid. This is why the Sarco has already been dubbed the "Tesla of euthanasia".