What is 'suicide pod' used by US woman to kill herself and how does it work?

On September 23, a 64-year-old American woman used the famous 'suicide pod' to kill herself to become the first person to use the self-killing machine. The event took place in a forest close to Merishausen, which led the Swiss police to open a criminal case and detain several individuals for assisting her in dying by suicide.

What is a Suicide Pod?

The Sarco pod is a 3D-printed capsule created by Philip Nitschke, which enables people to die from nitrogen hypoxia. This method replaces oxygen with nitrogen, thus putting the victim to sleep and killing him/her within minutes. In contrast to usual euthanasia methods, the Sarco pod allows the user to trigger the process independently of the doctor’s help.

Switzerland has allowed assisted suicide since 1942, but this has to be done under certain circumstances. The legalisation of the Sarco pod has raised many ethical issues because the critics noted that it could promote suicide and does not require medical supervision. Switzerland’s Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider said the device does not meet the requirements of product safety legislation and causes concerns under the Chemicals Act.

Nitschke’s invention is to try to simplify death so that people can have more choices regarding their deaths. Nevertheless, this case has stirred discussions on the effects of such technology on the perception of suicide and mental health in society.

The organization that helped the woman use the Sarco pod, called Last Resort, stated that the woman decided on her own. While debates over the morality of assisted dying and the use of devices such as the Sarco pod remain ongoing, Switzerland remains in a dilemma in addressing the issues of end-of-life decisions.