Swiss police say they have detained several people and opened a criminal case a day after the first use of the “Sarco” capsule to end a person’s life. Assisted dying is legal in Switzerland in some circumstances.
Police in the northern Swiss canton of Schaffhausen said on Tuesday that several people had been detained, and a dead body taken for examination, following the apparent first use of a capsule designed to help people end their lives.
The “Sarco” capsule, made in the Netherlands and in development for several years now, is supposed to allow a person reclining inside to press a button, after which most of the oxygen in the sealed chamber is replaced with nitrogen.
According to the group that promotes its use, Exit International, this triggers first mild disorientation and euphoria, then unconsciousness, and in a few minutes death by asphyxiation.
Swiss law allows for assisted suicide so long as the person takes his or her life with no “external assistance” and those who help the person do not do so for “any self-serving motive,” according to a government website.
So you can get help or not?
You can get help setting everything up, but you have to be the one to push the button, pick up the lethal medicine, etc
But you have to pay to use this machine. So the people who made it are self-interested in you dying because they want your money.
Pretty sure you have to pay if you back out as well, so that’s not an incentive to kill you either.
In the article from de Volksrant
According to The Last Resort, the woman paid nothing for the Sarco, with the exception of 18 Swiss francs for the nitrogen tank and her funeral costs. ‘Using the Sarco is free’, Stewart states. ‘That is part of our philosophy. We don’t want to make any money on this. ’
There is no ethical suicide under capitalism.
It’s legal but there’s a criminal investigation?
I only read the blurb but it clearly says “In some circumstances”. I’m guessing those circumstances are after following a full process, not ordering a suicide capsule and taking it for a spin.
Is Matt Groenig a defendant?
Don’t You dare screw this up. Assisted dying is the only thing I’m looking forward to in life. And I’m 37, so I’ll need this good and running in like the next 4 years.
It just uses nitrogen. You can order a bottle of nitrogen from Amazon. That, a plastic bag, and some tape, you’re good to go. When I learned that, I felt way more secure about my choice to kill myself, hopefully years and years from now. As long as something doesn’t happen sooner to take the choice out of my hands.
It’s not that simple. The theory of it being more peaceful is there’s no C02 build up which is what causes our out of breath sensations, gasping and all the ensuing panic.
The prisoner in the US that was executed with this, they did it poorly and didn’t get rid of the c02 properly and it didn’t go as planned and was not peaceful.
It would probably be a lot more complicated to do with just a bag and some tape and be sure it’s correct, although I guess if it wasn’t you could abort the attempt as you’d know you messed up.
Did the pizza delivery guy trip?
I C Weiner!?
Sarco’s inventor, Philip Nitschke, pictured here in Rotterdam in July 2024, was said to have monitored the device’s use on Monday closely, but not in person
Lmao what?
I don’t think he takes the fact that his machine is killing people seriously enough. He should definitely be there for at least the first few “uses”
Philip Nitschke has been around a long time now, He helped get the first Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia laws on the books in the Northern Territory of Australia, only for the feds to strike it down on a technicality as ‘Territories’ don’t get the same rights as ‘States’.
That was almost 30 years ago.
Edit: Link for more information on Territories vs. States in Australia
According to the group that promotes its use, Exit International, this triggers first mild disorientation and euphoria, then unconsciousness, and in a few minutes death by asphyxiation.
“We know this because we’ve tested it thoroughly and have wonderful exit interviews with the test subjects, who assured us of its euphoric effects via ouija board.”
lol lol This science was discovered decades ago with air planes, navy divers, and the space race. Take your outrage and put it somewhere useful.
Jesus christ I’m pro-assisted suicide, it was just a cheeky fucking joke.
You know, I misread your comment. Many apologies.
Apology accepted and appreciated. Misunderstandings can happen easily online. Have a good one.
You do realize you can “test” it and stop before dying, right?
How can you be sure suffocation kills a human, until you kill a human? User testing 101 bro!
This was obviously a joke that requires no downvotes. Seriously.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generalized_hypoxia
Euphoria is one of the symptoms of generalized hypoxia, and I would expect that this machine skips over many of the listed symptoms by rapidly decreasing oxygen.
also true of whippits which are nitrogen oxide, likely what they’re using here.
I had a dentist a while back tell me that the statistics for suicide among dentists are really high, but that they’re probably misleading. Because too many dentists fiddle with the oxygen safety on the nitrous feed, strap on a mask, lean back, pass out, die.
“Uhh, thanks doc… How’re my teeth though?”
Yeah, that’s about how that conversation went.
They are using nitrogen gas, generated from liquid nitrogen.
Death by nangs?
Damn what a great way to go.
