Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
An American woman became the first to use a controversial suicide pod and was given a final command by the machine before her death.
The Sarco ‘suicide pod’ was developed to offer assisted suicide treatments for patients. Earlier this week, the first person to ever use it took their final breath.
The pod has not received approval for use, leading to the arrest of several individuals in connection with the woman’s death.
Part of a statement from Schaffhausen Police read: “The public prosecutor’s office of the canton of Schaffhausen has opened criminal proceedings against several persons for incitement and aiding and abetting suicide (Article 115 of the Swiss Criminal Code) and several persons have been placed in police custody.”
“The public prosecutor’s office of the canton of Schaffhausen was informed on Monday, September 23, 2024 at 4:40 p.m. by a law firm that an assisted suicide with the Sarco capsule had taken place in the afternoon at a forest hut in Merishausen.
“As a result, the Schaffhausen police, including the forensic emergency service, and the public prosecutor’s office of the canton of Schaffhausen went to the scene of the crime.
“In addition, specialists from the Forensic Institute Zurich (FOR) and the Institute of Legal Medicine Zurich (IRMZ) were called in. The Sarco suicide capsule was secured and the deceased person was taken to the IRMZ for an autopsy.
“In addition, several people in the Merishausen area were taken into police custody. The public prosecutor’s office is also investigating the violation of other criminal offenses.”
The alleged 64-year-old woman who used the machine entered the pod on Monday (23 September) and was instructed to press a button ‘if you want to die’.
According to the AFP, the machine stated: “If you want to die, press this button.”
The unidentified American woman travelled to Switzerland to end her life. The capsule’s creator, Dr. Philip Nitschke, mentioned she ‘really wanted to die’.
Speaking to de Volkskrant, he said: “When she entered the Sarco, she almost immediately pressed the button.
“She didn’t say anything. She really wanted to die. My estimate is that she lost consciousness within two minutes and that she died after five minutes.
“We saw jerky, small twitches of the muscles in her arms, but she was probably already unconscious by then. It looked exactly how we expected it to look.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.