New Delhi: Switzerland has legalised a coffin-shaped capsule called Sarco which is reported to give a relatively painless and peaceful death within one minute. The death occurs by inducing hypoxia and hypocapnia that is a state where the oxygen is reduced to an inadequate level at the tissues and carbon dioxide is reduced in the blood.
According to a report by the Independent UK, the euthanasia device can be operated from inside to bring the oxygen level down to a critical point in just the blink of an eye. This can be helpful for people who suffer from locked-in syndrome (A situation where the person is aware but cannot move or verbally communicate due to complete paralysis of almost all of the voluntary muscles except for vertical eye movements and blinking).
Reportedly, the suicide machine is taken to a preferred location of the user. Later, the biodegradable capsule is detached from the bottom to serve as a coffin.
Sarco, the ‘suicide machine’ is invented by Dr Philip Nitschke, who is being popularly called ‘Dr Death’, and is short for “sarcophagus.”
In Switzerland, assisted suicide is legalised and approximately 1,300 people have opted for the services of euthanasia organisations such as Dignitas and Exit, last year.
“Barring any unforeseen difficulties, we hope to be ready to make Sarco available for use in Switzerland next year. It’s been a very expensive project so far but we think we’re pretty close to implementation now,” Dr Philip Nitschke said.
However, the device has faced severe criticism especially because of nitrogen inflow into the capsule, displacing the oxygen, leading to death. Some have compared the capsule to a “gas chamber” while some have claimed that it “glorifies” suicide.
