Switzerland has launched a new vending machine-like “assisted suicide pod” that allows people to climb inside and be euthanized with the “push of a button.”
The new portable death “pod” is on track to claim its first victim this year after winning approval from the Swiss government.
Florian Willet, the CEO of the pro-euthanasia organization The Last Resort, announced the launch of the machine during a recent press conference.
Willet declared that Switzerland will “soon” use its portable suicide pod to begin killing citizens.
According to Willet, people are eagerly awaiting their chance to die in the machine.
“Since we have people indeed queueing up, asking to use the Sarco, it’s very likely that it will take place pretty soon,” Willet said.
He continued by eerily describing it as a “beautiful way” to die.
The pod is called Sarco, short for sarcophagus, the name of the coffins in which ancient Egyptian pharaohs were buried.
The futuristic-looking capsule was first unveiled in 2019.
The invention was pitched as a way to more efficiently euthanize people in Switzerland.
However, the contraption was met with controversy.
During a recent interview with the South China Morning Post, Sarco’s founder, Philip Nitschke explained how the pod works.
Nitschke has been nicknamed “Dr. Death” for his attempt to “glamorize” suicides.
He boasts that his pod can euthanize anyone who steps inside within minutes with a simple “push of a button.”
Once a person is inside the pod, they are asked who they are and where they are to establish their mental state.
They are then asked if they know what happens when they press the button.
The death in the pod can also be activated by a gesture, voice control, or even the blink of an eye for those who cannot vocally or physically communicate due to severe illness or mobility issues.
After they answer, a voice says, “If you want to die press this button.”
Once the button is pressed, the pod is flooded with nitrogen causing the oxygen to plummet from 21 percent to 0.05 percent in the air in less than 30 seconds.
“They will then stay in that state of unconsciousness for… around about five minutes before death will take place,” Nitschke explained.
However, he warned that the process cannot be stopped once a person commits to being killed.
“Once you press that button, there’s no way of going back,” he said.
The pod is fitted with cameras and death inside is filmed as evidence.
The video footage is then handed to a coroner to prove the cause of death.
The push to debut the pod this year comes after the pod was banned last month.
Prosecutors had questioned the legality and ethics of the pod.
Critics pointed out that it is unclear who is responsible for the death and who operates the pod.
Switzerland has allowed assisted suicide since 1942.
The laws’ only requirements are that the person freely chooses death, is of sound mind, and that their decision is not motivated by selfish reasons.
The country’s broad euthanasia policy has made Switzerland a popular destination for those around the world who wish to end their lives.
In addition to the legal question of who is responsible for the death, pro-life organizations have condemned the pods for trivializing death.
The machines and the laws that allow them are undermining the dignity of life, opponents argue.
James Mildred, the head of pro-life organization Christian Action Research and Education (CARE), said:
“Philip Nitschke’s device has been condemned by a broad range of commentators.
“Many people feel that it trivializes and even glamourizes suicide.
“We believe that suicide is a tragedy that good societies seek to prevent in every circumstance,” Mildred continued.
“There are ethical ways to help human beings that don’t involve the destruction of life.”
https://slaynews.com/news/switzerland-launches-assisted-suicide-pods-euthanize-citizens-push-button/
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