Woman dies in controversial suicide capsule made by Aussie Dr Philip Nitschke

Multiple people have been arrested after the death of a woman inside a “suicide capsule” made by an Australian doctor.

A woman has taken her own life inside a controversial suicide capsule made by an Aussie at a Swiss woodland retreat.

The space-age looking Sarco capsule, which fills with nitrogen and causes death by hypoxia, was allegedly used on the 64-year-old American outside a village near the German border.

The portable human-sized pod, self-operated by a button inside, was invented by Australian man and Exit International director Dr Philip Nitschke.

The Sarco suicide pod, invented by Dr Philip Nitschke, on display in Venice.

The capsule has raised a host of legal and ethical questions in Switzerland. Active euthanasia is banned in the country but assisted dying has been legal for decades.

“I am pleased that the Sarco had performed exactly as it had been designed … to provide an elective, non-drug, peaceful death at the time of the person’s choosing.” euthanasia campaigner Dr Nitschke said.

The Last Resort, an assisted dying organisation, presented the Sarco pod in Zurich in July, saying they expected it to be used for the first time within months, and saw no legal obstacle to its use in Switzerland.

A handout picture released by The Last Resort taken on the morning of where it was allegedly used by a 64-year-old American woman. Picture: The Last Resort

In a statement, The Last Resort said the unnamed woman who died was from the midwestern United States.

“She had been suffering for many years from a number of serious problems associated with severe immune compromise”, the statement said.

The death took place “under a canopy of trees, at a private forest retreat”.

The association’s co-president Florian Willet was the only other person present, and described the woman’s death as “peaceful, fast and dignified”, according to the statement.

Dr Philip Nitschke invented the Sarco. Picture: Jerad Williams

On the same day it was used, Switzerland’s Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider told lawmakers that the Sarco was “not legal”.

Police in the northern Schaffhausen canton said several people had been taken into custody and face criminal proceedings following the death.

WHAT IS THE SARCO?

The Sarco was invented by Dr Philip Nitschke, a leading global figure in right-to-die activism.

The 3D-printable capsule cost more than 650,000 euros (A$1.5m) to research and develop in the Netherlands over 12 years.

To use the Sarco, the person wishing to die must first pass a psychiatric assessment. The pods are reusable.

The person climbs into the purple capsule, closes the lid, and is asked automated questions such as who they are, where they are and if they know what happens when they press the button.

The 3D-printable capsule cost more than 650,000 euros (A$1.5m) to research and develop in the Netherlands over 12 years. Picture: AFP

In July, Dr Nitschke explained that once the button is pressed, the amount of oxygen in the air plummets from 21 per cent to 0.05 per cent in less than 30 seconds.

The person inside quickly loses consciousness before dying within around five minutes.

Nitschke’s Exit International organisation, which owns the Sarco, is a non-profit group funded by donations. The only cost for the user is 18 Swiss francs (A$31) for the nitrogen.

Originally published as Woman dies in controversial suicide capsule made by Aussie Dr Philip Nitschke