The debut of a ‘death capsule’ designed to carry out assisted suicides at the push of a button has been ‘aborted’, its creator has revealed.
Euthanasia expert and inventor Dr Philip Nitschke said the first person expected to use the device was suffering from ‘deteriorating mental health’.
Dubbed Person X, the American woman in her 50s was due to die on July 17, but has now had her death in the ‘Sarco’ pod ‘permanently postponed’.
‘Given her situation, it is clear that this is a person who should now be receiving mental health care, rather than any suicide assistance’ Dr Nitschke said.
The controversial assisted dying advocate, who has been dubbed ‘Dr Death’, is now said to be involved in the pre-screening of the next person hoping to use the device.
Australian euthanasia advocate Philip Nitschke (pictured), also known as ‘Dr Death’, is a former physician and head of the voluntary euthanasia campaign Exit International
An early version of the Sarco Pod, which can be operated internally and works by reducing oxygen levels. No one has yet used it. The final prototype is in the finishing stages of being prepared
The Sarco, short for sarcophagus, is meant to allow the euthanasia patient inside it to press a button and die ‘within seconds’, according to Dr Nitschke’s company, Exit International.
The pod – which looks like something out of a sci-fi film and has been likened to a Tesla car – fills with nitrogen to starve the occupant of oxygen, rendering the patient unconscious before they die.
While the Australian researcher claims that his device would give people the chance to end their lives in a ‘peaceful’ way, pro-life groups have warned that the pods ‘glamorize suicide’.
Reports last month pointed to the ‘imminent’ use of the Sarco in Switzerland, with many expecting it to be used within the month.
But Exit International claimed that the ‘media storm’ around the machine had contributed to the woman’s worsening mental health.
Dr Nitschke said that he had been concerned by ‘multiple episodes of significant cognitive lapses bordering on pre-psychosis’ as the date of the woman’s planned euthanasia approached.
On the day it had been scheduled to be deployed for the first time, euthanasia organisation ‘The Last Resort’ said it expected it to be used within the year instead.
Discussing the next potential ‘patient’ to use the machine, Dr Nitschke said they would need to be made aware about possible attention from the media.
‘Given the media scrutiny surrounding Person X, all future clients will need to be warned of the possibility that, despite our best efforts to keep their death private, any first use of Sarco will be the subject of intense media interest and reporting’, he said.
Swiss prosecutors warned earlier this month that anyone assisting someone in using the pods could face up to five years behind bars.
Schaffhausen Canton Public Prosecutor Peter Sticher warned of ‘serious consequences’ for Nitschke for ‘inducement and aiding and abetting suicide for selfish reasons.’
In a letter obtained by Swiss media, Sticher said: ‘There is no reliable information about the method of killing.
‘[It is] completely unclear who has control over which mechanical process during the dying process.’
Prosecutors said that under section 115 of the canton’s penal code, it would be impossible to establish just who was doing the killing
Would-be users would have to fill in an online survey before being given a pod’s location and an access code, like a delivery mailbox.
Then inside the capsule, they confirm who they are, where they are, and if they know what happens when they press the button.
If they go ahead a flood of nitrogen lowers the oxygen level from 21 per cent to just one per cent, supposedly killing them in 30 seconds.
Nitschke explained: ‘Death takes place through hypoxia and hypocapnia, oxygen and carbon dioxide deprivation, respectively. There is no panic, no choking.’
The doctor’s plans to use Sarco for the first time have caused uproar from ‘pro-life’ organisations, including CARE.
James Mildred, director of engagement at CARE, said: ‘Philip Nitschke’s device has been condemned by a broad range of commentators.
‘Many people feel that it trivialises, and even glamourises, suicide.
‘We believe that suicide is a tragedy that good societies seek to prevent in every circumstance.
‘There are ethical ways to help human beings that don’t involve the destruction of life.’
Swiss prosecutors warned earlier this month that anyone assisting someone in using the pods could face up to five years behind bars
The project has come up against a number of obstacles in the past, with it unclear if Swiss authorities could prosecute over the use of the machine.
Sarco’s creators said in 2021 that it had passed legal review in Switzerland, where assisted suicide is legal and hundreds of people use the services of organisations such as Dignitas and Exit (a separate group to Dr Nitschke’s) every year.
But Kerstin Noëlle Vokinger, a Professor of Law and Medicine at the University of Zurich, has said that Sarco may need to be certified under the country’s Medical Devices Act, which it is not.
As its manufacturer, Dr Nitschke could therefore be taking a risk by using Sarco if he were to be reported and a court came to the same conclusions as Vokinger, NZZ reports. A legal report previously stated it is not and does not break any laws.
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