Earlier this year, the Tesla of Euthanasia, or Sarco Pod, was banned for use by Swiss authorities. However, an American woman has already made an irrevocable decision.
Despite the ban, the Last Resort, or the group behind Sarco Pod continued the first use of the suicide capsule by an American woman in Switzerland. This led to the detainment of their president, Florian Wille, and others involved in the operation of the pod.
NBC News reported that there is now an ongoing criminal investigation into the incident. The American woman, aged 64, reportedly used Sarco on September 23 in a forest near the German border.
Sarco Pod's Legality in Switzerland
Currently, CNN shared that Switzerland has one of the most relaxed laws on addicted suicide.
However, Swiss individuals can only end their lives as long as they do so without external assistance and with the absence of self-serving motives of those assisting them. Since the suicide capsule needs to be operated, this raises the question of whether it's legal to use in the country.
In the NBC News report, it was revealed that only Florian Willet was present during the woman's death. She described it as a peaceful, fast, and dignified process. But authorities have yet to verify these claims.
Per VCPost, the Sarco Pod works by causing the person to fall asleep through nitrogen gas, in a reclining seat of the sealed chamber. They eventually die within minutes due to suffocation.
As of the same date of the American woman's death, over 370 people had applied to use the Sarco pod. Now, it will be put on hold to investigate the first death after Swiss Health Minister, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider stated in a parliament that using Sarco is illegal.
Willet's group stood on their ground by stating that Schneider's statement was released after the first use of the Sarco pod, and it was not in their attention to go against the law.
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