The third "suicide booth"
Sarco suicide capsule has passed legal examination in Switzerland
Claire O'Dea, swissinfo
Translated by Evgeny Mamontov
The Sarco capsule created on a 3D printer, intended for use in voluntary euthanasia, can legally be distributed and used in Switzerland, according to the conclusion obtained by the developer organization Exit International.
About 1,300 people died by assisted suicide in Switzerland in 2020, using the services of two of the country's largest aid organizations in this area: Exit (unrelated to Exit International) and Dignitas. Currently, the method of ingestion of sodium pentobarbital solution is used.
After taking the drug, a person falls asleep for two to five minutes, then falls into a deep coma, and soon after that death occurs. Sarco offers a different approach to voluntary retirement – without the use of drugs.
SWI swissinfo.ch I talked with Dr. Philip Nitschke, the founder of Exit International, registered in Australia, about his innovative development – the Sarco coffin-like capsule, and what place, in his opinion, it will take in the assisted suicide sector in Switzerland.
SWI swissinfo.ch Q: What is Sarco and how does this device work?
Philip Nitschke: This is a capsule created on a 3D printer, which is activated from the inside by a person intending to die. The device can be delivered to any place. This may be, for example, an idyllic outdoor area or the premises of an euthanasia aid organization.
A person lies down inside a very comfortable capsule. He is asked a series of questions, and when the answer is received, he can press a button inside the capsule, activating the device at any appropriate moment.
The capsule is equipped with a mechanism that fills its interior with nitrogen, rapidly reducing the oxygen concentration in the air from 21 to 1 percent. A person feels a little disoriented and may feel a slight euphoria before losing consciousness. All this will take about 30 seconds. Death occurs due to hypoxia and hypocapnia, that is, lack of oxygen and carbon dioxide. There is no panic, no feeling of suffocation.
SWI swissinfo.ch : At what stage of development and commissioning is the device?
Philip Nitschke: Last year, we asked for advice on the legality of using Sarco in Switzerland to help with suicide. A legal examination was carried out, the result of which showed that we did not miss anything. There are no legal problems. We are very satisfied.
At the moment there are two prototypes of Sarco, and the third is being created in the Netherlands. If all goes well, the third device should be ready for use in Switzerland in 2022.
The first Sarco is on display at the Museum of Funerary Culture in Kassel, Germany, from September 2021 to February 2022. The second one turned out to have an unaesthetic look. For this and some other reasons, this is not the best option to use.
Several additional Sarco projects have been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, the development of a video camera that allows a person to communicate with people outside. It is necessary to record a person's informed consent. The project has been put into operation, and the next step will be the manufacture of equipment.
SWI swissinfo.ch : Your stated goal is to get rid of the medical component of the process of voluntary retirement. What does it mean?
Philip Nitschke: Currently, doctors are needed to prescribe sodium pentobarbital and confirm a person's legal capacity. We want to exclude any psychiatric checks from the process and allow the person to manage what is happening himself.
Our goal is to develop an artificial intelligence system to determine a person's mental abilities. Naturally, we faced a wave of skepticism, especially from psychiatrists. But our initial concept is precisely that a person must pass an online test and get a code to access Sarco.
SWI swissinfo.ch : You are based in the Netherlands. What are your potential opportunities to enter the Swiss market?
Philip Nitschke: We are discussing the issue of using the Sarco device in the country with various groups in Switzerland, including those with whom we have worked before on individual cases of assisted suicide. This will be done in cooperation with a local organization.
In the absence of unforeseen difficulties, we expect to make Sarco available for use in Switzerland next year. The project turned out to be very expensive, but we think that it is now quite close to implementation.
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