The creators of a 'suicide pod' which promises to painlessly end the life of the occupant at the push of a button might have to pump the breaks on its launch after receiving a stern warning from Swiss prosecutors.
For those who somehow haven't heard about this high-tech assisted dying system yet, the Sarco pod is a 3D-printed capsule which has been described as the 'Telsa of euthanasia'.
Dr Philip Nitschke - who has been dubbed 'Dr Death' - revealed that the first patient was set to use it next week in a post shared on an online forum on 10 June, explaining it would take place in Switzerland 'in the next few weeks'.
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The Australian medic, 76, said: "The machine can be towed anywhere for the death.
"It can be in an idyllic outdoor setting or on the premises of an assisted-suicide organisation, for example."
Swiss media reported that the firm are now ready to roll out the controversial pods and has lined up their first candidate - but it seems legal buffs are putting the mockers on it.
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According to Nitschke, who is the founder of the pro-euthanasia group Exit International, which made the contraption, the Sarco pod can provide people who want to end their lives with a 'painless death' within minutes.
It works by flooding the chamber with nitrogen, reducing oxygen levels rapidly so that individuals inside quickly feel woozy before falling unconscious after just one minute and dying after 10.
Nitschke said that he came up with the death capsule in order to create a 'peaceful, reliable, drug-free' method of assisted dying which allowed the patient to have full control of their final moments.
The team at Exit International have even made sure the Sarco pods can be activated via voice control and eye movement for those who have very severe illnesses and mobility issues, such as locked-in syndrome.
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He was even toying with the idea of trying to bring them to the UK at one point.
Whichever side of the fence your on in the assisted dying debate, I'm sure we can all agree that it probably sounds the most modern way that's available so far.
The pods, which are activated via a button, blink or gesture, also include an emergency button and escape hatch in case users change their mind - but critics have claimed Nitschke is 'glamourising suicide' with his swanky invention.
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Prosecutors in Switzerland's Schaffhausen Canton are also unsupportive of the doctor's Sarco pod - and have issued him a sobering reminder that the team at Exit International could land themselves in serious legal trouble.
Public Prosecutor Peter Sticher warned that anyone assisting a patient to use the pods could face up to five years behind bars, according to local news outlet Blick.
He said there would be 'serious consequences' for the bloke nicknamed Dr Death if he went ahead with his plans, which the prosecutor described as the 'inducement and aiding and abetting suicide for selfish reasons'.
According to Swiss law and Article 115 of the penal code, individuals can assist in another person's suicide as long as the motive for doing so is not 'selfish' - which was the exact word Sticher used to describe Nitschke's motivations.
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However, lawmakers have warned it is set to open up a huge grey area, as it would be impossible to work out who was responsible for the person's death, hence why prosecutors have introduced a ban on the suicide pods.
In a letter obtained by the media, Sticher said of the prospect of the rollout of Sarco pods: "There is no reliable information about the method of killing.
"[It is] completely unclear who has control over which mechanical process during the dying process."
Although the suicide capsule was supposedly approved for use in Switzerland in 2021, experts reckon it might have run into more red tape.
Professor of Law and Medicine at the University of Zurich, Kerstin Noëlle Vokinger, previously suggested that the controversial assisted-dying devices may need to be certified under the country's medical devices act - and it is not.
Topics: World News, News, Health, Crime
Olivia Burke