Switzerland’s Public Prosecutor’s Office in the canton of Schaffhausen has banned a new assisted suicide device known as “the Tesla of euthanasia” just before its first use, citing a lack of reliable information about the method being employed, according to local media outlet Blick. The device, called Sarco (short for sarcophagus), was designed by the Swiss euthanasia association Exit Switzerland, and is intended for users to enter a coffin-like pod, lie down, and press a button. This action would then initiate a rapid decrease in oxygen levels while maintaining low carbon dioxide levels, resulting in “the conditions for a peaceful, even euphoric death,” as described by Exit Switzerland. The pod’s design was intended to evoke the feeling of travel to a new destination.
Sarco had been scheduled to be used for the first time this month, but critics and pro-life activists warned that it “glamorizes” death. In response to concerns about the device, Swiss prosecutors stated in their letter that there is no reliable information about the method of killing, making it unclear who has control over which mechanical process during the dying process.
Switzerland’s policy of permitting assisted suicide has led to an increase in what critics call “suicide tourism” to the country. In a legal assisted suicide, means are provided for the terminally ill or those suffering from severely debilitating diseases to end their own lives. Only adults with full powers of judgment who can self-administer the lethal dose are allowed to take their own lives. Foreigners are reportedly charged between $7,500 and $12,000 for “the management of the aftermath of death,” such as declaring the death to police and health authorities, cremation or burial.
Swiss euthanasia organizations report that interest in assisted suicide has been rising steadily. Exit Switzerland, which operates in German-speaking Switzerland and deals exclusively with Swiss residents, reported a 11% increase in assisted suicides in 2023 compared to 2022. Association members pay membership fees that cover the expenses if one eventually opts to end their life.
Another Swiss assisted dying organization, Dignitas, has seen an 80% increase in British membership over the last decade. The majority of its other members are German and French.
