Multiple people were detained and a criminal case has been opened in northern Switzerland after a person died by assisted suicide Monday, according to police in the town of Schaffhausen.
“Several persons” were taken into custody on suspicion of “incitement and aiding and abetting suicide,” Schaffhausen police said.
The assisted suicide was carried out using a “Sarco” capsule, police said. According to the Associated Press, the device allows a person to sit inside the sealed chamber and press a button, which then fills the capsule with nitrogen gas, causing oxygen levels to drop. The person then falls asleep and dies of suffocation.
Philip Nitschke — an Australian doctor who created the device and founder of the “right to die” advocacy nonprofit Exit International — told Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant that the person who died via the capsule was a 64-year-old American woman who traveled to Switzerland to use it. The procedure was conducted at 4:01 p.m. Monday near a forest cabin in Merishausen, he said.
The device had never been used before, according to the AP.
Florian Willet, director of Swiss assisted suicide organization The Last Resort, was the only person present when she died, Nitschke said. The woman began the dying process by pushing the button herself.
This photograph shows a view of the Sarco assisted suicide capsule, during a press conference organised by the “Last Resort”, a Swiss human rights non-profit association focused on assisted suicide, in Zurich on July 17, 2024.
Arnd Wiegmann/AFP via Getty Images
Prior to her death, a psychiatrist examined the woman and confirmed she was competent to undergo the procedure, according to de Volkskrant.
Nitschke reportedly described the woman’s death as a major milestone in the movement to legalize assisted suicide, noting that “humane” drugs that bring about death can be extremely difficult to obtain.
After the prosecutor’s office was informed of the assisted suicide by a law firm, law enforcement officials responded to the scene, where they recovered the capsule and took the deceased woman in for an autopsy, police said.
Assisted suicide is legal under Swiss law if the person does so without “external assistance,” and anyone who aids the individual in the process does not have “any self-serving motive,” according to the Guardian.
Nitschke told the AP that lawyers had advised him it was legal in Switzerland to use the “Sarco” capsule.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In a shocking turn of events, Swiss police have detained multiple individuals following the death of an American in Switzerland involving a ‘suicide capsule’. The incident has sparked widespread debate and raised questions about the legality and ethics surrounding assisted suicide.
The American individual, whose identity has not been disclosed, was found dead in a hotel room in Zurich. Authorities discovered that the individual had used a ‘suicide capsule’ to end their life. The capsule, known as the Sarco Suicide Pod, is a device that allows individuals to end their lives painlessly and peacefully by lowering the oxygen level in a sealed chamber.
Following the discovery of the American’s body, Swiss police detained several individuals who were allegedly involved in providing assistance with the suicide. The individuals are being investigated for their role in facilitating the suicide and could potentially face criminal charges.
Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland under certain conditions, but there are strict guidelines that must be followed. Individuals seeking assisted suicide must be of sound mind and have a terminal illness or unbearable suffering. The involvement of third parties in the process is also heavily regulated to ensure that the decision to end one’s life is made freely and without coercion.
The use of the Sarco Suicide Pod has reignited the debate surrounding assisted suicide and the right to die. Proponents argue that individuals should have the right to end their lives on their own terms, especially in cases of terminal illness or unbearable suffering. However, opponents raise concerns about the potential for abuse and the slippery slope towards euthanasia.
The case in Switzerland highlights the complexities and ethical dilemmas surrounding assisted suicide. While some may view it as a compassionate act of mercy, others see it as a violation of the sanctity of life. As the investigation into the American’s death continues, it is likely that more questions will be raised about the legality and morality of assisted suicide in Switzerland and beyond.
