In the recent news, Switzerland has legalized a suicide machine ‘Sarco’ that allows occupants to kill themselves and has passed legal review in the said country. The coffin-shaped pod allows people to die painlessly and peacefully in just under a minute. The suicide machine can be controlled from the inside, just by blinking if the person suffers from locked-in syndrome – and functions by decreasing the oxygen level in the pod to below a critical level.
Just the Movement of Eyes Can Activate the Suicide Machine
With just vertical movements of the eyes and blinking are achievable. The suicide machine, Sarco guarantees a painless demise to its user by generating hypoxia and hypocapnia. Hypoxia is a state in which there is no oxygen supply at the tissue level whereas hypocapnia is a condition of downsized carbon dioxide in human blood, which directs to death.
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However, the project has begun garnering unfavorable responses because of the technique used by the suicide machine. Some people have termed the suicide machine as a ‘glorified gas chamber’. Others have alleged that Sarco glamorizes suicide. The chairperson of the non-profit organization Exit International, Dr. Philip Nitschke, who created the suicide machine, desires that the euthanasia device will be open 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,” Nitschke said, according to news reports. Sarco, which is short for sarcophagus, lets the user choose his/her preferred place for a serene death. The biodegradable pod can be disconnected from the machine and then turned into a coffin.
Sarco is Based on Assisted Dying Culture
As of date, just two Sarco prototypes exist in Switzerland, but Nitschke’s firm is working on 3D printing the third machine to make it ready for operation next year. Assisted suicide, also known as assisted dying or medical aid in dying, is lawful in Switzerland.
Source: Independent
