Swiss suicide capsule ‘Sarco’
0.05% decline in oxygen levels within 30 seconds
“No legal issues and high feasibility”,
Photo=REUTERS,
, “It is expected that a ‘euthanasia capsule’ called Sarco, which allows painless death within seconds when a button is pressed, will soon be used in Switzerland.”,
,
, “According to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on the 18th local time, the euthanasia non-profit organization ‘The Last Resort’ announced that Sarco will be available in Switzerland within a few months.”,
,
, ‘Sarco, first unveiled in 2019, is a device that replaces the internal oxygen with nitrogen to induce death due to hypoxia. The organization stated, “There are no legal obstacles in Switzerland as assisted suicide is allowed.”‘,
,
, ‘Those who wish for death must first undergo a mental capacity evaluation by a doctor, which is a key legal requirement. After that, they will enter a purple capsule and close the lid, answering questions about who they are, where they are, and what will happen when they press the button.’,
,
Photo=AFP,
, ‘Then, a voice will play saying, “If you want to die, press the button.” When the button is pressed, the oxygen level in the air will rapidly decrease from 21% to 0.05% within 30 seconds. There is no way to reverse it once the button is pressed.’,
,
, ‘Dr. Philip Nitschke, the inventor of Sarco, said, “Breathing very low levels of oxygen twice causes a loss of directional sense and coordination, a decrease in happiness before losing consciousness, leading to death after about 5 minutes in an unconscious state.”‘,
,
, ‘Switzerland allows not only dignified death, which means discontinuing life support, but also physician-assisted suicide (euthanasia) by administering drugs to terminally ill patients.’,
,
, ‘However, the use of this capsule has sparked controversy even in Switzerland. Some cantons have banned the use of Sarco, while others have shown a cautious attitude. The Last Resort maintains that there are no legal issues in using Sarco.’,
,
Photo=EPA,
, ‘Florian Willet, a representative of the organization, said, “As people are actually lining up to request Sarco’s use, it is highly likely to be implemented soon.”‘,
,
, ‘Sarco has a minimum age limit of 50 and can only be used by those who are under 1.73m tall. The first user and when and where it will be used have not been decided yet.’,
,
, ‘Details will not be disclosed until the euthanasia is carried out. Fiona Stewart, a legal advisor to the organization, emphasized, “We do not want the wish of a person to peacefully end their life to be distorted by media circuses.”‘,
,
,