Switzerland: Police investigate 1st use of 'suicide capsule'
Switzerland: Police investigate 1st use of 'suicide capsule'
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.
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.
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.
That plan is half-assed. You're gonna fuck up the attempt mate, and I don't want you to end up worse than dead.
It's a fairly peaceful method if done right. The method can knock you out real quick (10-30s for a humam if done right), but it takes a while to actually die from it (could be 30min depending on lots of factors including gender). A lot slower than you would expect. I've seen gas termination with rats for anatomy lessons. It took a tiny animal a long time to die. 15min minimum, so we chose 30min to be sure. A human with 5L of blood rich in oxygen takes longer. In between losing conciousness and death, you'll fight back. The odds of surviving as a half-vegetable aren't favorable here.
If you choose to go, make sure you rethink this method.
Assisted dying is and should be heavily regulated.
I’m Swiss and there’s been heavy debated about “forced” suicide where for example someone who’se disabled and unable to work but wants to live is almost forced to kill themselves because disability benefits are too low to survive on.
This is a major problem is Canada for example.
I’d much prefer this to be well regulated than not at all. So I don’t think investigating a case, would be “screwing it up”.
Did the pizza delivery guy trip?
I C Weiner!?
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?
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.
One step closer to suicide booths. The future is coming.
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
Maybe it was just family physically in the room? You could monitor the air composition with a video feed from elsewhere, even just a room over.
EDIT: Ok just read through the article:
"the death took place in the open air under a canopy of trees in a private forest retreat near the German border with the association's co-president, Dr. Florian Willet, the sole person present."
So he wasn't present or nearby, but someone else from the company was.
Also this bit sticks out to me (emphasis mine):
"On displaying cogency and an understanding of the stakes, it becomes possible push the button to activate the process, which cannot then be aborted."
I wonder if this is a legal sticking point? If someone presses it and immediately has second thoughts, shouldn't they have the freedom to open it and cancel the process?
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."
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.