Switzerland Halts Applications for Suicide Capsule After U.S. Woman’s Death

Islamabad:A Swiss advocacy group that had been accepting applications for the use of a capsule designed for assisted suicide announced on Sunday that it was temporarily suspending the application process for the device. The decision follows the death of a 64-year-old woman from the U.S. who became the first person to use the capsule for suicide.

According to a report by American media, the woman, who lived in the Midwest, used the “Sarco” capsule, a machine designed for voluntary euthanasia, last month in Switzerland. The incident has raised concerns, leading to an investigation by local authorities, with the president of the advocacy group, “The Last Resort,” Florian Wilt, and other members being taken into custody for questioning.

The “Sarco” machine was used in a forest near the town of Schaffhausen, located near Switzerland’s German border. The machine is designed to allow individuals to end their own lives through a painless process.

Switzerland has relatively relaxed laws regarding assisted suicide, which allow individuals to end their own lives with assistance, provided that there is no financial or personal gain involved for those assisting. However, the use of the “Sarco” machine, which is electrically powered, has raised legal and ethical questions, with lawmakers divided over how to regulate it.

The advocacy group reported receiving 371 applications for the use of the “Sarco” machine but has decided to suspend the acceptance of further applications for the time being.

The “Sarco” machine was developed by Dr. Philip Nitschke, the founder of Exit International, an organization based in the Netherlands. The machine, which cost around $1 million to develop, operates by allowing individuals to sit in a chair, close the door of the capsule, and press a button that releases nitrogen gas from the machine’s tank. The gas induces sleep, and within minutes, the lack of oxygen causes death.

The development of this machine and the incidents surrounding its use have sparked a global debate on the ethics and legality of assisted suicide, with many questioning the morality of providing such options to individuals seeking to end their lives.