Press Button to Die Within 5 Minutes, Switzerland Suspends Use of 'Nitrogen Death Capsule'

Report Claims No Approval at Startup, Use Suspended Just 2 Weeks After First Operation

The 'assisted death capsule,' which allows a person to die painlessly within 5 minutes by pressing a button inside the capsule, has been discontinued in Switzerland.

According to Yonhap News Agency citing the AP News on the 6th (local time), the euthanasia advocacy group 'The Last Resort,' which introduced the 'Sarco' capsule in Switzerland, and its sister organization in Australia, 'Exit International,' decided to halt the use of the device after Swiss authorities launched a criminal investigation into the first use of Sarco.

Philip Nitschke, an Australian doctor who developed the euthanasia capsule called Sarco, inside the device.
[Photo by AP/Yonhap News]

According to these organizations, as of last month, 371 people were undergoing the application process to use Sarco, but the procedure was suspended after the first user’s death. The Sarco capsule was first operated on the 23rd of last month in a cabin in a forest in the canton of Schaffhausen, Switzerland. It is reported that a 64-year-old American woman actually died inside the capsule.

There were reports that the machine was operated without official approval at the time. Police responded to the scene, detained company officials involved in the use of Sarco, and the local prosecutor’s office initiated criminal proceedings against them. Polorian Willett, the representative of The Last Resort, is currently in custody awaiting trial.

Assisted death refers to patients with no chance of recovery ending their own lives by administering medication or other means themselves. It is distinguished from euthanasia in that medical professionals prescribe the drugs, but the patient must use them independently.

Switzerland has permitted assisted suicide since 1942, but Sarco is considered illegal as it may not meet the machine’s safety requirements or may have violated chemical substance regulations.

The Last Resort stated, “Currently, 371 people in Switzerland have applied to use Sarco,” and “the application process has been suspended since the first operation of the device.”

Meanwhile, the inside of the Sarco capsule is designed with a reclining chair that can accommodate one person. When the occupant sits down and presses a button, nitrogen gas is released, causing the person to fall asleep and then die. It is understood that the number of applications exceeded 370 within a month after Sarco was first unveiled.