Switzerland: Police investigate 1st use of 'suicide capsule'

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Switzerland: Police investigate 1st use of 'suicide capsule' – DW – 09/24/2024
dw.com

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.

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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.

It's a joke suggesting medical fraud where there isn't any. Not a very funny joke...

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.