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

MicroWave@lemmy.world to World News@lemmy.world – 228 points – 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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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.

This. So don’t just put a bag over your head. The CO2 buildup will make you feel how you suffocate. Just order a gas mask like thing (hardware store, medical suppplier, scuba gear,…) and make it so you breathe nitrogen, but exhale the used air to the atmosphere.

I like how this post turned into tips on how to kill yourself. Saving it for later.

I am Swiss and member of the other big organization which helps people die. Not because I want to die, but I think it is every persons basic right to decide, when their life should end.

Can you get scuba tanks of nitrogen? I suppose thr unscrupulous would fill anything with the gas of your choice. It probably doesn't have to be a scuba tank, either.

Since you do not work with a hermetically sealed environment, it is totally enough to use duct tape to bridge different hoses. The goal is to have a steady stream of nitrogen which you can breathe for at least 60 minutes. Not that you need this long to die, but in cases like this, I would add 3-4 times the amount of safety, so you are clearly dead and not just a veggie in a coma.

As morbid as it sounds, don't skimp out people. You're gonna die anyways what's a couple extra bucks spent to make sure you don't end up a worst fate as a vegetable.

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”.

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?

You can get help setting everything up, but you have to be the one to push the button, pick up the lethal medicine, etc

But you have to pay to use this machine. So the people who made it are self-interested in you dying because they want your money.

In the article from de Volksrant

According to The Last Resort, the woman paid nothing for the Sarco, with the exception of 18 Swiss francs for the nitrogen tank and her funeral costs. ‘Using the Sarco is free’, Stewart states. ‘That is part of our philosophy. We don't want to make any money on this. '

Pretty sure you have to pay if you back out as well, so that's not an incentive to kill you either.

There is no ethical suicide under capitalism.

Whatever brand of Socialism/Communism you advocate for that denies the sick and dying a dignified death, you can keep it.

How the fuck did you read that as anything but a joke? Like seriously, how? What did you think I was saying with that comment?

EDIT: And just to be clear, I am an anarchist and I think it's absurd that any state has the hubris to tell anyone that they're not allowed to die. FOH.

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."

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.