Swiss Police have arrested several people after a 64-year-old US woman reportedly died on Monday using a so-called controversial ‘suicide pod’ in Switzerland. This is happening at a time when debates on the need for assisted dying are taking place.

According to BBC, they arrested several suspects on suspicion of abetting and inciting suicide after the death of the woman. This is the first fatality case associated with the portable, 3D-printed chamber Sarco pod. The pod was a project of the company Sarco that enables people to kill themselves under their own will by pressing a button. The is solely operated by the person who wants to end his/her life without medical supervision.

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Controversies Surrounding Suicide Pod

The pod was found at a hut in the woods in the Merishausen region close to the German border. The law firm had informed the police after the incident, the reports stated. Assisted dying is permitted there subject to strict conditions, however, active euthanasia is banned in Switzerland. The application of the Suicide pod has now raised many ethical and legal questions.

Advocates of the Sarco device argue that it provides a dignified and accessible means for anyone who desires to end their life whereas opponents claim that the device might garner glamour over suicide.

Dr. Death Defends First Death Using Suicide Pod

The creator of a so-called ‘suicide pod’ Philip Nitschke, aka ‘Dr. Death’ monitored the death of a woman using a Sarco pod from Germany. He reviewed her death through an interior camera following her heart and oxygen level readings, noting ‘a perfect peaceful death in a Swiss forest.’

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Nitschke said the woman immediately pressed the button as soon as she entered the pod, the De Volkskrant reported. He estimated that the woman should have lost consciousness within two minutes and was dead within five, with some minor muscle twitches likely with their projections.

..an idyllic peaceful death in a Swiss forest where The Last Resort @tlrswiss used the Sarco device to help a US woman have the death she wanted..Lees dit artikel op de Volkskrant https://t.co/6DbKfmzYnC

— Philip Nitschke (@philipnitschke) September 24, 2024

The case has brought up the hot debate of tightening regulations and ethical values regarding the use of such controversial machines.