{"id":47845,"date":"2021-12-12T01:57:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-12T01:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/?p=47845"},"modified":"2022-01-07T01:14:56","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T01:14:56","slug":"switzerland-approves-and-legalises-new-suicide-pod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/switzerland-approves-and-legalises-new-suicide-pod\/","title":{"rendered":"Switzerland approves and legalises new “assisted suicide pod”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The pod named ‘Sarco’<\/em>, is a 3D-printed capsule<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The assisted death machine, which is shaped like a coffin, can be placed anywhere and is operated from inside – by the person wishing to take their own life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was created by former physician Dr. Philip Nitschke, who founded the company Exit International, developers of the ‘Sarco’ pod which is set to launch in 2022 in Switzerland after having successfully passed legal review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike the current procedural method of assisted death in which the person is prescribed a lethal chemical substance by a doctor which is then administered, the \u2018Sacro\u2019 pod does not involve the person having to consult a doctor, there is need of ingesting any liquids or substances. Instead, the device can only be activated from inside, the person has to press a button which fills the inside with nitrogen, reducing the oxygen level quickly and causing a \u201cpainless\u201d death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Philip Nitschke told Swissinfo<\/a><\/em><\/strong>: \u201cCurrently a doctor or doctors need to be involved to prescribe the sodium pentobarbital and to confirm the person\u2019s mental capacity. 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\u2019s mental capacity. Naturally there is a lot of scepticism, especially on the part of psychiatrists. But our original conceptual idea is that the person would do an online test and receive a code to access the Sarco.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Dr. @philipnitschke<\/a> created SARCO, the suicide pod, to end your life painlessly – without a doctor.

"You can wave goodbye. You can press the button. And you can leave this planet."

Now he plans a lethal body implant for those with dementia.

OUR CHAT\ud83c\udfa7: https:\/\/t.co\/tsg2L8wvJ2<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/CTdcoKISHS<\/a><\/p>— dahlia kurtz \u2721\ufe0e \u05d3\u05dc\u05d9\u05d4 \u05e7\u05d5\u05e8\u05e5 (@DahliaKurtz) January 4, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>