Advocacy groups behind a controversial suicide capsule have announced the suspension of applications to use it, as a criminal investigation into its first use in Switzerland is underway. The Last Resort, based in Switzerland, and its affiliate Exit International, founded in Australia over 25 years ago, made this announcement. Florian Willet, the president of The Last Resort, is currently in pretrial detention.
The arrest of Willet and several others by Swiss police followed the death of an unidentified 64-year-old woman from the U.S. Midwest. She became the first person to use the device known as “Sarco” on September 23rd in a forest near the German border.
While some individuals were initially detained but later released from custody, Willet remains under arrest. Switzerland has relatively lenient laws regarding assisted suicide; however, this incident has sparked a debate among lawmakers.
According to advocacy groups’ statement on Sunday, there were 371 people “in the process of applying” to use Sarco in Switzerland as of September 23rd. However, applications have been suspended following its first use.
Exit International developed Sarco—a 3D-printed device that cost over $1 million—under the guidance of its founder Dr. Philip Nitschke based in the Netherlands. The capsule allows individuals sitting inside it to inject nitrogen gas from a tank underneath by pushing a button. This process induces sleep and leads to death by suffocation within minutes.
Exit International claims that only Willet was present during the woman’s death and described it as “peaceful, fast, and dignified.” However these claims cannot be independently verified.
On September 23rd itself—the day when Sarco was used—Swiss Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider informed parliament that using Sarco would not be legal. It was reported that the woman suffered from severe immune compromise.
Exit International asserts that their lawyers believe using Sarco is legal in Switzerland despite Baume-Schneider’s sta