Switzerland legalizes suicide assisting machine
The Sarco Suicide Pods, developed by Exit International, have been designed for assisted suicide and can be operated by the user lying inside it.
A coffin-shaped capsule that assists in suicide has been legalized in Switzerland, it’s makers claim. The capsule-like machine promises relatively painless and peaceful death in only one minute. The death occurs through hypoxia and hypocapnia by reducing the oxygen to a critical level in the pod.
The Sarco Suicide Pods, developed by Exit International, have been designed for assisted suicide and can be operated by the user lying inside it. The man behind this invention is Dr. Philip Nitschke , an Euthanasia activist and founder of the organization, also famously known as Dr. Death.He said among the key features of the pod is that it can be transported to an “idyllic outdoor setting”. “We want to remove any kind of psychiatric review from the process and allow the individual to control the method themselves. Our aim is to develop an artificial-intelligence screening system to establish the person’s mental capacity. Naturally there is a lot of skepticism, especially on the part of psychiatrists,” he further stated.
The person first has to take a survey to establish the decision to end their life is theirs. They will then be required to answer pre-recorded questions and press a button to begin the process. The Sarco Pod can be operated by the user from inside to carry out the assisted suicide by reducing the internal oxygen levels while increasing the Nitrogen levels inside the body.
However many people have criticized the machine and it’s operations, with many calling it ‘a glorification of gas chambers ‘ according to the makers. Some have also opined that the machine glorifies and glamorizes suicide.
Switzerland had legalised assisted suicide in 1942. The method used was ingesting a capsule that sends the person into a coma before they die. Roughly 1,300 people used the services of euthanasia organisations Dignitas and Exit last year.
At present, two Sarco prototypes currently exist, but Exit International is 3D printing a third machine that it hopes to be ready for operation in Switzerland next year.
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