Assisted suicide: Sarco capsule deemed incompatible with Swiss law

Keystone / Ennio Leanza

The Swiss government has decided that the 3D-printed Sarco capsule does not meet product safety requirements.

The Sarco suicide capsule – that claims to provide assisted suicide at the touch of a button – does not comply with the law, Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider told the House of Representatives on Monday.

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Firstly, the capsule does not meet the requirements of product safety legislation and cannot therefore be placed on the market, the minister explained in response to a parliamentarian’s question. Furthermore, the use of nitrogen in the capsule is not compatible with the objective of the law on chemical products.

When it comes to product safety law, jurisdiction must be clarified on a case-by-case basis, said Baume-Schneider. On the other hand, the cantons are responsible for cases where nitrogen is not used in accordance with the regulations.

Arrests made

The controversial “Sarco” assisted suicide capsule was used for the first time in a forest hut in Merishausen in canton Schaffhausen that borders Germany. One person took his own life and the Schaffhausen police have arrested several individuals.

The public prosecutor’s office of the canton of Schaffhausen has opened criminal proceedings against these suspects for incitement and assistance to suicide, the cantonal police said on Tuesday. On Monday, a lawyer informed the prosecutor that the Sarco capsule had been used in a forest hut in the municipality of Merishausen.

Police officers dispatched to the scene seized the capsule. The body of the deceased was taken to the Forensic Institute in Zurich for an autopsy.

This summer, the public prosecutors’ offices of several cantons, including Schaffhausen, announced that they would initiate criminal proceedings if the capsule were used on their territory.

Controversial invention

Last summer, the announcement that the Sarco suicide capsule would be used in Switzerland sparked controversy over whether it complied with the law. The public prosecutors’ offices of several cantons have already announced that they will initiate criminal proceedings if the capsule is used in their areas of jurisdiction.

According to the Swiss Conference of Public Prosecutors, the suicide capsule does not create a new situation. But it “offers an alternative means of committing suicide to injecting a lethal substance”.

The Sarco capsule, which can be installed anywhere, is designed to allow people who wish to die to do so at the touch of a button. A large quantity of nitrogen is then released, replacing oxygen. The person loses consciousness after a few breaths of nitrogen and dies after about five minutes.

Suicidal thoughts? You can find help here

Are you having suicidal thoughts or do you know someone who needs support? Then contact the Dargebotene Hand (offered hand) in Switzerland, telephone number 143. You can find email and chat contacts at www.143.ch (in EnglishExternal link). The service is anonymous and free of charge. For children and young people, Pro Juventute operates the telephone number 147. They can be contacted by text message, chat and email at www.147.chExternal link (German). Here is further information and helplines in SwitzerlandExternal link concerning suicide.

Translated from French by DeepL/ac

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