Dying at the touch of a button Death capsule to be used in Switzerland soon
The "Sarco" suicide capsule by controversial activist Philip Nitschke is soon to be used in Switzerland to help a person to die voluntarily. The method is not well received by everyone.
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- The Sarco death capsule is soon to be used in Switzerland.
- The legal situation is unclear. The machine does not violate any laws, but it is not clear whether it needs to be certified as a medical device.
- An execution with nitrogen in the USA has raised doubts about the method.
- Other euthanasia organizations doubt that the suicide capsule will often be used in Switzerland, as it does not allow closeness to relatives.
Switzerland is known for its liberal regulations on assisted suicide. As a result, people who are willing to die often come to Switzerland from abroad to fulfill their wishes with organizations such as Exit Switzerland or Dignitas.
In order to commit suicide, certain conditions must be met by people who are usually suffering from incurable illnesses. They must be capable of judgment and a medical professional must determine whether the wish to die is understandable in view of their life situation.
The person who wishes to die must also be able to perform the act themselves. They swallow or inject themselves with sodium pentobarbital, which must be prescribed by a doctor.
Lack of oxygen thanks to nitrogen
The controversial Australian activist Philip Nitschke wants to circumvent the use of this poison with his Sarco capsule. The closed capsule is to be flooded with nitrogen at the push of a button from the inside. This should lead to hypoxia and hypocapnia, i.e. a lack of oxygen or carbon dioxide, in just a few seconds, as Nitschke explained in an interview with Swissinfo in 2021.
This leads to a more comfortable death, as Christian Jackowski, Director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Bern, told the NZZ. The lack of oxygen is perceived as pleasant in the body, which some people deliberately induce to increase pleasure. According to Jackowski, this repeatedly leads to "autoerotic accidents" with fatal consequences.
Controversial execution with nitrogen in the USA
The nitrogen method was used in the USA on January 25 this year for the execution of convicted murderer Kenneth Eugene Smith. The condemned man wore a mask with which he inhaled nitrogen.
The procedure was condemned by the United Nations, which claimed that the US authorities had abused Smith as a guinea pig and failed to achieve the prospect of a "quick, humane and painless" death. As the NZZ reported in its article, witnesses to the execution had spoken of how Smith gasped for air for minutes, writhed and tore at his shackles.
Nitschke then traveled to Alabama to check the setting of the execution. He warned that there was a risk that the mask could slip and prolong the dying process, as the NZZ writes.
Legal situation regarding the use of Sarco unclear
According to the NZZ, it is surprising that Sarco will soon be used in Switzerland. This is because the Swiss partner of Exit International, Nitschke's organization, which is not to be confused with Exit Switzerland, has withdrawn due to the unclear legal situation.
A legal opinion commissioned by Nitschke concluded that the machine does not violate any laws because it is not a medical device that has to be tested before use. However, not all experts agree with this.
The NZZ quotes Kerstin Noëlle Vokinger, Professor of Law and Medicine at the University of Zurich. According to Vokinger, the Medical Devices Act also covers devices that serve the purpose of altering a "physiological or pathological condition". This could also include a device that kills a person.
Sarco must be certified by Swissmedic before use. If this certification is not obtained and a court comes to the same conclusions as Vorkinger, Nitschke could risk imprisonment as the manufacturer.
"Basically a sensible invention"
The euthanasia organization Pegasos, formerly a Swiss partner of Exit International, and other supporters see Sarco as a useful invention in principle. The machine helps people who are unable to drink the medication due to their illness or who cannot be given an infusion, Pegasos President Ruedi Habegger told the NZZ.
However, Habegger emphasizes that many patients want to feel the closeness of medical companions and relatives during the dying process, which would not be the case with the suicide capsule. For this reason, Habegger doubts that Sarco will be used often in Switzerland.