60s American Woman Dies Using Suicide Capsule
Pressing Button Releases Nitrogen Gas, Causes Sleep and Suffocation
Cost Only 28,000 Won, Controversy Grows
A device called the 'euthanasia capsule,' which causes death within five minutes after pressing a button inside the capsule, was used for the first time in Switzerland. Although Switzerland permits assisted suicide, the police have arrested those involved, interpreting that the device violates current laws. On the 23rd (local time), foreign media including AFP reported that a 64-year-old American woman died using the suicide capsule machine called 'Sarco.' In connection with this, the police in northern Switzerland launched an investigation on the 24th regarding the death of a person inside the euthanasia capsule.
Philip Nitschke, an Australian medical doctor and founder of Exit International, an international non-profit organization advocating for the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia, created Sarco, known as the "death capsule," with a Dutch designer in 2017 using a 3D printer. [Photo by AP and Yonhap News]
According to the police and media reports, Sarco was operated without approval around 4:01 p.m. the previous day in a cabin in a forest in the canton of Schaffhausen. The 64-year-old American woman who used Sarco died, and the police, having received related reports, dispatched officers to the scene and secured the custody of those involved in the use of Sarco. The Schaffhausen public prosecutor's office is conducting criminal proceedings against the detainees.
Earlier, Philip Nitschke, an Australian medical doctor and founder of the international non-profit organization 'Exit International,' which advocates for the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia, created Sarco, known as the 'death capsule,' in 2017 with a Dutch designer using a 3D printer. The operation of Sarco is simple. Once inside the purple capsule, pressing a button instantly increases the nitrogen concentration inside, leading to a painless death within five minutes. The cost is 18 Swiss francs (21 USD / 28,000 KRW).
Before pressing the button, users must pass a preliminary evaluation and answer three questions: 'Who are you?', 'Where are you?', and 'Do you understand what is happening now?'. If the user has a severe illness or physical disability, the machine can be operated through blinking, gestures, or voice commands. Assisted suicide refers to patients with no possibility of treatment ending their own lives by administering medication themselves. It differs from euthanasia in that medical professionals prescribe the drugs, but the patient must use them independently.
Why is Sarco illegal even in Switzerland, a country permitting assisted suicide?
Switzerland permits assisted suicide. It is reported that over 1,200 people chose assisted suicide last year. Doctors decide whether to prescribe medication after at least two in-depth consultations spaced two weeks apart. Sarco held a product unveiling event in Switzerland last July. The event location was likely chosen because Switzerland permits assisted suicide. However, even though Switzerland allows assisted suicide, it has not approved the sale or use of Sarco.
The organization that held the product launch event and promoted the introduction of Sarco in Switzerland, The Last Resort, maintains the position that there are no legal issues with the use of Sarco in Switzerland, suggesting that controversy may arise in the future. [Photo by Reuters·Yonhap News]
After the Sarco unveiling event in July, the Swiss federal government interpreted that the use and sale of this product violate current laws. The reasons cited were that Sarco did not meet safety-related legal requirements and violated chemical substance laws regulating the use of nitrogen. On the 23rd, when questioned in parliament about Sarco, Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider stated, "The Sarco suicide capsule does not comply with current laws," adding, "First, it cannot be marketed because it does not meet product safety law requirements. Second, the use of nitrogen in this context is incompatible with the purpose clause of the chemical substances law." However, the organization that held the product unveiling and is promoting Sarco's introduction in Switzerland, The Last Resort, maintains that there are no legal issues with Sarco's use in Switzerland, suggesting that controversy is likely to continue.
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