A man has talked about the time he went inside a controversial Sarco suicide pod and lived to tell the tale.
Stepping inside one of the pods is only meant to end one way, but Times journalist Mark Smith made the decision to get inside the pod, knowing full well that he would be coming out alive.
Mark first met the device’s inventor, Dr Philip Nitschke, in 2018. Dr Nitschke had recently moved to the Netherlands, where he had been developing early iterations of the pod, with the assistance of industrial designer, Alexander Bannink.
Without much time passing, Mark was invited to visit an early model of Dr Nitschke’s much talked about and highly divisive machine.
He wrote: “The early incarnation of the Sarco that I saw was a little like a business class plane seat, complete with quilted leather reclining chair. It was all a bit designer, I thought, except for the conspicuous gas canister.
“Just like with the iPhone, things have come on a bit since then. While the mechanism of the Sarco starving the brain of oxygen in a process known as cerebral hypoxia remains the same, its aesthetics are now a lot more Silicon Valley.”
The pod is almost entirely different from other assisted dying methods currently in practice around the world, in that it gives users complete control over the ending of their life.
Users climb into the cutting edge almost sc-fi-esque pod that they are then able to activate via a screen or by voice, for people who are without the capability for physical movement. After the machine is activated, the space is then filled with gas causing a quick death.
However, the Sarco pod has been met with much criticism and disaproval, as Swiss health minister, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider suggested that it could actually be illegal, as she expects that it wouldn’t pass product safety laws.
The pod was reportedly used for the first time on Monday, September 23 when a 64-year-old woman allegedly died using the machine. She died at a forest hut in the Merishausen area, a part of Switzerland that borders Germany.
Despite being legally protected in some circumstances in Switzerland, there are stringent regulations. Four people have been arrested on the potential charge of conspiracy to incite suicide, although the charge is pending at the time of writing.
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.