Suicide capsule to be used in Switzerland this year, says euthanasia organisation
The organisation “The Last Resort” has confirmed that the suicide capsule Sarco is to be used in Switzerland. This should happen this year, it said on Wednesday.
Disclosing information about a person’s euthanasia is disrespectful, said Fiona Stewart, founding member of the organisation, to the media. However, she assumed that the capsule would be used this year.
Want to read our weekly top stories? Subscribe here.
The organisation’s lawyers have been in touch with several cantons. Stewart would not say which ones. However, “The Last Resort” organisation says it has no legal concerns, having clarified everything with its lawyers.
More
Sarco suicide capsule hopes to enter Switzerland
A media report recently stated that a person would use the suicide capsule to end their life this week in canton Valais. However, the Valais cantonal doctor issued a precautionary ban on its use. The public prosecutor’s office in Schaffhausen has also expressed concerns. Stewart told the media that she did not want to comment on individual cantons.
Capsule not yet used
The aim of the organisation is to enable a “more peaceful death”, said Stewart. Co-President Florian Willet added that in Switzerland, neither doctors nor medicine are required for this purpose.
+ Swiss assisted suicides rose 11% in 2023
The inventor of Sarco, Philipp Nitschke, had already claimed several times in the past that the capsule was approved in Switzerland. However, it has never been used. According to Stewart, “The Last Resort” was only founded a few months ago.
Established assisted suicide organisations like Exit or Dignitas work closely with doctors. Sarco is designed to allow individuals who wish to end their lives to do so at the push of a button.
Translated from German by DeepL/sp
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
More
Will Switzerland finally do away with imputed rental-value tax on homeowners?
More
A Geneva-based global health foundation came close to ‘collapse’. Where were regulators?
More
A spark of hope for Swiss descendants without a Swiss passport
More
When a US bomber crashed into Max Huber’s Zurich castle
More
Is Switzerland repeating England’s housing mistakes?
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.