Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
A woman has come forward, claiming that the company behind a ‘suicide pod’ tried to ‘exploit’ her suffering for financial gain.
The 55-year-old, referred to as Jessica Campbell, was initially set to be the first individual to use the pod but decided against it.
Another anonymous woman subsequently became the first person to be euthanized using the Sarco ‘suicide pod’ earlier this week. The pod was developed by The Last Resort, a Swiss company that specializes in assisted suicide.
The 3D-printed capsule, designed by Dr. Philip Nitschke, was used for the first time when a 64-year-old woman from the US entered the machine on Monday (September 23). The machine is intended to offer assisted suicide services for patients.
According to the company’s website, it offers ‘a drug-free means of an elective, peaceful and dignified death. The use of the Sarco is free to approved users. A good death is a fundamental human right’.
The pod has not yet been approved by government officials and law enforcement, leading to the arrest of several individuals in connection with the woman’s death.
Jessica Campbell, who used a wheelchair and was from Alabama, criticized the company as ‘heartless’ before she died with the assistance of another Swiss euthanasia organization in July.
Speaking to local news outlet NZZ, Campbell stated: “If I had known that the deeply heartless people who held my fate in their hands were mainly driven by their own media presence and marketing, I would never have subjected myself to this ordeal.”
She asserted that if it weren’t for The Last Resort’s greed, she would have been the first to use the Sarco pod.
Her trip to Zermatt, a town in the Swiss Alps, ended on a sour note despite her spending a substantial $40,000 – all of her life savings.
This outcome was due to her alleged interactions with Florian Willet, the co-president of the company, and Fiona Stewart, an advisory board member.
Campbell claimed that Willet and Stewart asked her to cover their personal expenses and alleged that Stewart told her: “You’re going to die soon anyway, so you don’t need your money anymore.”
Both Stewart, Willet, and The Last Resort have denied Campbell’s allegations.
Documents provided to NZZ by Stewart showed she paid for her own expenses and included texts in which Campbell expressed gratitude for the ‘adventure of a lifetime’.
Stewart also shared SMS conversations to refute Campbell’s claim that she was accompanied by a cameraman against her will.
Willet stated he denied all ‘allegations’, adding that proving a ‘friendly interaction between our interested party and us’ is not possible.
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 the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.