2024-07-19 07:31:16
burn: Preparations are being made to use a portable suicide machine for those who voluntarily accept death in Switzerland, which will provide the facility to die without any doctor’s supervision. It is planned to come in a few months. This machine, which looks like a space capsule, has been named Sorco. It was first unveiled in the year 2019. It converts oxygen into nitrogen inside it, causing the person to die of hypoxia. News agency AFI quoted the Last Resort organization as saying that it does not see any problem in using this machine in Switzerland. In Switzerland, taking one’s own life is allowed under special circumstances.
press this button to die
Florian Willett, chief executive of The Last Resort, said at a press conference that its use is likely to begin very soon. He said, ‘I cannot imagine a more beautiful way to die.’ A person wishing to die in a suicide machine must first pass a psychological assessment of his mental capacity, which is a major legal requirement in Switzerland. Philip Nietzsche, inventor of Sarcos, explained that ‘the person then climbs into the capsule and closes the lid. The machine asks the person lying inside pre-recorded questions, such as who they are, where they are and whether they know what happens when the button is pressed.’
How does the machine work?
After this, a voice comes from the machine, if you want to die, press this button. Nietzsche further said that once the button is pressed, the amount of oxygen in the air decreases from 21 percent to 0.05 percent in less than 30 seconds. On reaching this level of oxygen, the person inside will reach a state of unconsciousness and will remain in unconscious state for five minutes before death. Nietzsche said that we can see the death of the first person in the machine very soon. He also said that once the person reaches close to death, there will be no option to return. However, no decision has been taken about who will be the first person to use the machine.
“We really don’t want a person’s peaceful wish to turn into a media circus in Switzerland,” said Fiona Stewart, a lawyer on The Last Resort’s advisory board. Stewart said a minimum age limit of 50 has been set for using the machine. However, if someone over 18 is seriously ill, “we don’t want to deny someone suffering based on their age.” The machine costs just $20 to use. The only cost to the user will be the nitrogen, which is 18 Swiss francs ($20).
Criticism of the machine
The capsule’s potential use has sparked debate in Switzerland, with legal and ethical questions being raised. Stewart stressed there were no legal barriers to Sarco’s use. Nitrogen “is not a medical product, it’s not a dangerous weapon, it’s 78 percent air,” he said. Stewart said we want to make assisted suicide medically free because Sarco does not require the presence of a doctor.
Currently, the machine has been tested with the equipment. It has not been tested on humans or animals. The current SARCO can only hold a person who is five feet and eight inches (173 cm) tall. However, the manufacturing team is trying to create a double SARCO in which couples can end their lives together. In the future, the SARCO may cost 15,000 euros. The Last Resort said that the SARCO will never be used for capital punishment.