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Experimental suicide capsule »Sarco«
Photo: exitinternational
It looks like a colorful spaceship, is supposed to enable those who want to die to kill themselves at the push of a button - and has been causing a sensation for days.
"Climb into a spacey capsule and instead of flying to the moon, slide gently to your death: this vision could become a reality in Switzerland as early as 2022," writes the Swiss news portal swissinfo.ch about the device.
The device called »Sarco« was developed by activist Philip Nitschke.
"It's a 3D-printed capsule that can be activated from the inside by the person who wants to die," he told swissinfo.ch.
The strange capsule from »Dr.
Death"
There are currently two prototypes, a third copy is currently being produced in the Netherlands as a 3D printout.
A prototype can currently also be seen in the Museum for Sepulchral Culture in Kassel, in the exhibition entitled "Suizid - Let's Talk About It!"
What is special about this is that the death furniture should be able to be transported to any location, according to the activist: "It can be in an idyllic setting outdoors or, for example, in the rooms of an euthanasia organization."
Philip Nitschke is no stranger to the subject of assisted suicide.
He practiced as a doctor in Australia for a long time, and is sometimes referred to in the media as »Dr.
Death "titled, as" Doctor Death ".
His book on methods of suicide is banned in Australia, reports the "Tagblatt", his license to practice medicine was revoked after several people, inspired by the suggestions described in the book, killed themselves.
Nowadays Nitschke lives part of the time in the Netherlands.
Counterproductive spectacle
Nitschke finds nothing disreputable about his machine, which some media refer to as the “Tesla of euthanasia” due to its futuristic design: “The Sarco makes it possible to die with elegance and style,” he says.
But the spectacular suicide capsule meets with incomprehension and outrage, especially among those who have long been fighting for a self-determined death.
"I absolutely cannot imagine such a" suicide capsule "as it was developed in the Netherlands for Germany, that is a rather strange idea," says Robert Roßbruch, lawyer and president of the Society for Human Dying (DGHS).
Roßbruch finds the isolation of those who wish to die in particular problematic: »It is precisely the personal contact between those who wish to die and the helpers that confirms the well-being of the wish to die and can lead to self-determined dying with dignity.
And that a drug is consciously taken in the presence of relatives. ”The spectacle surrounding the suicide capsule is“ absolutely counterproductive ”.
Urban Wiesing is similarly critical of the strange drama.
"There are three problems with this" suicide capsule "," he says.
Wiesing heads the Institute for Ethics and History of Medicine at the University of Tübingen and criticizes: “On the one hand, it is staged as a design object and has already been seen in art exhibitions.
What shoud that?"
A lonely death
The second problem lies in the planned activation of the death capsule, according to the researcher: »The screening of those willing to die should work via an online test, the decision should be made by an AI. I think that is totally inappropriate. This automatic system is supposed to prevent a doctor from making himself a criminal offense as a death helper, but this problem does not exist in Germany. On the contrary. In my opinion, a detailed medical consultation is essential for terminal care in assisted suicide. "
Nitschke's capsule, on the other hand, promotes a lonely death.
The capsule is mounted on a device that floods the interior with nitrogen and very quickly reduces the oxygen content from 21 to one percent.
“The person feels a little disoriented and can also easily feel euphoric before passing out.
The whole process takes about 30 seconds, ”says Nitschke.
The process is activated at the push of a button inside the capsule.
“Any assistance with suicide should involve two people with specialist knowledge to determine the seriousness of the death wish.
After that there has to be a waiting period, because with many people who want to die, this wish changes «, says Wiesing.
There is no law
The issue of assisted suicide is politically highly explosive and has been controversial for years.
This can already be seen in the choice of words.
What for some is suicide "murder", that is, suggests a reprehensible criminal offense, is seen as "suicide" for others, ie as a sign of the greatest autonomy and self-determination.
The term "suicide" is more neutral.
But this is only the beginning.
It was only in February that the Federal Constitutional Court overturned the controversial ban on the "business promotion of suicide" (Section 217 of the Criminal Code).
Since then, suicide has once again been in a legal gray area, because a new law has so far been missing.
And there, in the political field, Wiesing also sees the third problem.
"Germany is currently in a regulatory vacuum," says Wiesing: "The Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that assistance with suicide is permissible and that the Bundestag can regulate the framework.
That has not happened so far.
There is an urgent need for action here. "
The possibly positive side effect of the suicide capsule
In the coalition agreement, it is true that a supra-factional regulation should be found quickly.
So far there has only been one orientation session on the subject in the Bundestag.
This creates the paradoxical situation that the AI-controlled suicide in designer furniture seems completely absurd, perhaps even negligent and dangerous - but the provision of such killing devices is permitted. Wiesing puts it this way: “Because a lot has not yet been regulated by law, it is also not prohibited. That is the dilemma. "
Wiesing believes that legal regulation is urgently needed to put an end to the colorful ghost of the suicide-mobile activist.
It would be conceivable that Nitschke's work has a positive side effect: "The suicide capsule could force the new government to finally adopt a legal regulation on assistance to suicide," says Wiesing: "Because the legal one is worse than this strangely advertised suicide capsule Vacuum in Germany.
At the moment everything is allowed.
The Suizidmobil draws attention to this gap. "
Are you thinking about killing yourself? Talk to other people about it. Here you will find - also anonymous - offers of help in supposedly hopeless situations. By phone, chat, e-mail or in a personal conversation.
