[News Figures] Developer of Assisted Suicide Capsule ‘Sarco,’ Death Doctor ‘Philip Nitschke’

World's First Euthanasia Practitioner
Euthanasia Activist and Sarco Developer
First Death Case Using Sarco Reported

The police of Schaffhausen canton in Switzerland announced on the 24th (local time) that they have arrested individuals involved in the sale and operation of the capsule-type device 'Sarco,' which assists in death. They are accused of aiding and abetting a 64-year-old American woman to take her own life by operating the device without approval in a forest cabin in Schaffhausen canton the previous afternoon. This is the first reported case of death using Sarco.

Sarco is an assisted dying device developed by the famous euthanasia activist, Australian doctor Philip Nitschke (77). Assisted dying refers to a method where patients with no possibility of treatment intentionally end their lives through self-administration of drugs. It is distinguished from euthanasia in that the lethal drugs must be used directly by the patient, not by a doctor.

Philip Nitschke featured in the tidal power capsule device 'Sarco'
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Dr. Philip Nitschke is nicknamed "Dr. Death." He is the first person in the world to have carried out euthanasia on four individuals. Becoming a doctor at the age of 42 in 1989, after years of effort, he led the Northern Territory of Australia to pass the world's first euthanasia law in May 1995. Subsequently, Dr. Nitschke legally performed euthanasia on four patients using the machine he devised.

When the Australian Federal Parliament enacted a superior law banning euthanasia in 1997, the Northern Territory's euthanasia law was also repealed. In response, Dr. Nitschke founded Exit International, a private organization supporting euthanasia, and continued his euthanasia activism. He stated, "A peaceful death is everyone's right," and held "DIY death workshops." He also published 'The Peaceful Pill Handbook' in the United States in 2006, which deals specifically with various euthanasia methods.

In 2017, he created Sarco using a 3D printer in the Netherlands, where euthanasia is legal. After unveiling it at an euthanasia conference held in Canada in October of that year, the following year at a funeral expo in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, visitors were allowed to experience Sarco through virtual reality (VR) devices, sparking controversy. Dr. Nitschke introduced Sarco by saying, "Sarco allows people to choose euthanasia without special medical skills such as intravenous injections."

The device used for euthanasia by Philip Nitschke in Australia from 1995 to 1997, the 'Deliverance Machine' [Photo source=Exit International website]

The Swiss euthanasia organization 'The Last Resort' introduced Sarco in July and announced that it would be used for the first time within a few months. Switzerland permits assisted dying. A 55-year-old American woman was scheduled to use the device for the first time on the 17th of the same month, but an incident occurred where she was declared unsuitable for euthanasia and went missing. Dr. Nitschke said, "It was concluded that this individual should receive mental health treatment rather than suicide assistance." Two months later, the first death case occurred.

The Swiss federal government interprets the use and sale of Sarco as violating current safety regulations and laws related to chemicals. Additionally, the Swiss prosecution has indicated the possibility of charges related to the use of Sarco. Peter Sticher, prosecutor of Schaffhausen canton, warned, "There will be serious consequences for Dr. Nitschke, who induced and abetted suicide for personal gain." On the other hand, Exit International, the manufacturer of Sarco, claims that there are no legal issues in using Sarco.