Switzerland Legalizes Suicide With Assistive Devices, Here's The Process And Conditions

Sarco Suicide Pod. (Wikimedia Commons/Ratel)

JAKARTA - Swiss authorities have just legalized a new way to die with the help of a suicide device. The country's medical review board has authorized the use of the Sarco Suicide Pod, which is a portable, 3-D-printed coffin-like capsule with a window that can be transported to a quiet place for one's last moments of life.

Conventional assisted suicide methods generally involve chemicals. Inventor Philip Nitschke of Exit International told the website SwissInfo.ch, his 'death pod' offers a different approach.

"We want to remove any kind of psychiatric review from the process and allow individuals to control the method themselves," he explained as quoted by The Daily Best December 8.

"Our goal is to develop an artificial intelligence screening system to build the mental capacity of the person. Of course, there is a lot of skepticism, especially on the part of psychiatrists," he said.

Pods can be activated from within and can give people who intend to die a variety of options for where they want to be at their last moment.

"The machine can be pulled anywhere to turn off. It could be in a beautiful outdoor environment or in an assisted suicide organization, for example," he explained.

However, not just anyone can access or use this machine. To qualify for pod use, dying people must answer online surveys meant to prove whether they made decisions of their own accord. If they pass, they will be notified of the pod's location and given an access code.

Once inside, the person who intends to end his life must answer pre-recorded questions. Then, pressing a button will start the process of flooding the interior with nitrogen, which will quickly reduce the oxygen level inside from 21 percent to 1 percent.

"The person will get into the capsule and lie down," he said, adding, "It's very comfortable."

He says the person is likely to feel disoriented or euphoric. "The whole thing took about 30 seconds. Death occurred through hypoxia and hypocapnia, lack of oxygen and carbon dioxide. There was no panic, no choking," he explained.

To note, in 2020, about 1.300 people died by suicide in Switzerland, almost all by ingesting liquid sodium pentobarbital, which puts patients in a coma before killing them. Assisted suicide is also legal in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Canada.

The Sarco Suicide Pod is expected to be operational by 2022. The company has made three prototypes, but one is not "aesthetically pleasing" and will not be used, he said. The company has not announced how much it costs to use the service.