Campaign groups behind the controversial suicide capsule known as the “Sarco” announced on Sunday that they have suspended the application process for those requesting to use it.
Sarco had garnered over 370 requests as of last month.
The decision follows the ongoing criminal investigation into the device’s first use, which has ignited a great deal of debate in Switzerland.
Florian Willet, president of The Last Resort, a Switzerland-based group advocating for assisted suicide, is currently in pretrial detention following the death of a 64-year-old woman from the U.S. Midwest.
The woman became the first person to utilize the Sarco on Sept. 23 in a forest near Schaffhausen, close to the German border.
Several others were also initially detained as part of the investigation but have since been released.
A ‘suicide pod’ known as ‘The Sarco’, shown in Rotterdam, Netherlands, July 8, 2024. Advocacy groups behind it said on Oct. 6, 2024 that they have suspended the process of taking applications to use it.
Ahmad Seir/AP, file
Switzerland is known for its permissive assisted suicide laws, which allow people to end their lives without external assistance, provided that facilitators do not act with self-serving motives.
However, the Sarco’s inaugural use has prompted intense scrutiny from lawmakers as well as the public.
In a statement, The Last Resort and another advocacy group, Exit International, revealed that 371 people were in the application process for the Sarco as of September 23.
They reiterated that the application process was halted following its first use.
Exit International, which traces its origins to Australia and was founded by Dr. Philip Nitschke, is behind the development of the 3D-printed Sarco, a project reportedly costing more than $1 million.
The capsule is designed to allow users to recline comfortably and activate a mechanism that injects nitrogen gas into a sealed chamber, resulting in death by suffocation within minutes.
An elderly man in a retirement home in Birmingham, UK. Dozens of Scots have traveled to Switzerland for an assisted death because current laws prevent the end-of-life option in Scotland, May 8, 2017.
Joe Giddens/Press Association via AP Images
Exit International characterized the woman’s death as “peaceful, fast, and dignified,” though these assertions remain unverified.
On the same day as the woman’s death, Swiss Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider addressed parliament, stating that the use of the Sarco is not legal.
Reports indicate that the woman was suffering from severe immune compromise at the time of her death.
Despite this, Exit International maintains that their legal team believes the device’s use was lawful.
The advocacy groups said: “Only after the Sarco was used was it learned that Ms. Baume-Schneider had addressed the issue. The timing was a pure coincidence and not our intention.”
As the investigation progresses, the future of the Sarco and its role in Switzerland’s assisted suicide framework remains uncertain, with ongoing discussions likely to shape its legal and ethical implications.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “988” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
This article contains additional reporting from The Associated Press
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