In a first, an American woman reportedly died by suicide inside a new 3D-printed “suicide pod”, Sarco, in a forest cabin in Merishausen, Switzerland. The 64-year-old woman, who has not been publicly named, entered the Sarco pod on Monday. The machine allegedly encouraged her with a chilling message before her last moments, “If you want to die, press this button,” according to a report by AFP.
The Sarco pod, short for ‘sarcophagus', operates by flooding its chamber with nitrogen gas. That leads to a rapid decrease in oxygen levels due to which the person becomes unconscious within moments. Death typically occurs within ten minutes.
Florian Willet, co-president of the assisted suicide group Exit International's Swiss affiliate, the Last Resort, was the only witness present during the incident. He described the woman's death as “peaceful, fast and dignified,” as reported by the organisation. The woman suffered from “severe immune compromise,” the group said.
Dr Philip Nitschke, director of Exit International was “pleased” by the pod's performance. He stated, “I am pleased that the Sarco had performed exactly as it had been designed… to provide an elective, non-drug, peaceful death at the time of the person's choosing.”
Although the pod is designed with an emergency exit button, the device is not yet legally approved for use. Authorities have since arrested several individuals connected to the woman's death.
Switzerland allows assisted suicide, but individuals must do so without help from a doctor, meaning those who assist cannot act for selfish reasons. Unlike the Netherlands, where euthanasia with medical assistance is legal, Swiss law forbids euthanasia entirely.
Swiss Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider has voiced scepticism regarding the Sarco pod's potential approval, noting, “It does not fulfil the demands of the product safety law, and as such, must not be brought into circulation.” She added that the use of nitrogen is “not compatible with the article on purpose in the chemicals law.”
