The assisted suicide booths are a fixture of sci-fi. The manufacturer of an assisted suicide Pod called the Sarco capsule has received legal approval to be used by the public, according to Swiss outlets.
Hundreds of people with terminal illnesses choose to end their lives via physician-assisted suicide in Switzerland each year, and it has become an accepted practice in the country. Several European countries, including Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, have similar policies in place, while some of their neighbors accept other practices such as passive euthanasia or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment in certain circumstances. In physician-assisted suicide, a patient chooses to die with the help of a medical professional, which often means simply writing a prescription for a lethal drug. Euthanasia and withdrawal treatment both involve cessation of medical interventions that prolong the life of the patient.
According to SwissInfo, Dr. Philip Nitschke of Australia's Exit International says that the "death capsule" can be towed anywhere, and can be activated from the inside by the person intending to die. He said that the device was designed with comfort in mind.
The oxygen level in the capsule will be reduced to 1 per cent from 21 per cent in about 30 seconds, thanks to a piece of equipment that will flood the interior with nitrogen. The person will feel a little confused before they lose consciousness. Oxygen and carbon dioxide deprivation are some of the causes of death. There is no fear.
After around five to ten minutes, death usually follows unconsciousness. In 2020, Exit International asked for senior advice on the legality of using the device in Switzerland by the country's medical review board, and the organization recently learned there are no legal issues standing in the way of the device's rollout. The first and second prototypes are on display in a museum and not aesthetically pleasing, so the first operational unit won't be rolled out in Switzerland until 2022. A camera is needed for communication and recording informed consent.
According to SwissInfo, Exit International plans to develop ways to carry out the process without a doctor present.
The aim is to develop an artificial intelligence screening system to establish the person's mental capacity. There is a lot of skepticism on the part of psychiatrists. The person would take an online test and get a code to access the sarco.
The critics of the device say that it runs against medical ethics. According to Dr. Daniel Sumalsy, a professor of biomedical ethics at Georgetown University, assisted suicide is bad medicine, ethics, and bad public policy. It doesn't acknowledge that we can now do more for symptoms through palliative than ever before.
According to the Guardian, the law in Switzerland only prohibits physician-assisted suicide when it is done with self-motives, meaning that it is typically done with the assistance of non-profit organizations.
In 2020, the Daily Beast reported that 1,300 assisted suicides were carried out in Switzerland. According to Business Insider, there was a 9% increase in the number of procedures in the Netherlands in the year 2020. Regional Euthanasia Review Committees chair Jeroen Recourt told the Dutch paper that the figures were part of a larger development. Euthanasia is seen as a solution for unbearable suffering. It is reassuring to know that there is an option to end a person's life.
If you or someone you know is having a crisis or contemplating suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255 or text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741.
