Death by Button: Assisted Suicide Capsule Sarco Sparks Legal Battles in Switzerland

An innovative but contentious assisted suicide device known as Sarco has ignited a legal controversy in Switzerland, leading local authorities to arrest and investigate individuals involved in its sale and operation. The device, which allows users to enter a capsule and press a button that results in death within five minutes, has raised significant ethical and legal concerns.

On Tuesday, police in the canton of Schaffhausen arrested several individuals involved in selling and operating the capsule device Sarco. Those arrested are being charged with assisting and encouraging unlawful death. The Schaffhausen prosecutor’s office has initiated a criminal investigation.

Sarco is designed as a capsule large enough for a person to lie down inside. Once the user closes the device and presses a button, the oxygen within the capsule is replaced with nitrogen, leading to death within five minutes. 

According to local police, the device, which lacks regulatory approval, was used the previous afternoon in a cabin in a forest in Schaffhausen. A woman in her 60s from the United States died after using the capsule, and the police arrived at the scene and arrested individuals connected to the sale and operation of the device.

Sarco was first developed in the Netherlands five years ago, in 2019, and made its public debut in Switzerland last July. Assisted dying in Switzerland allows patients with no hope of recovery to choose to end their life through methods such as self-administered medication. It differs from euthanasia, as a medical professional prescribes the medication, but the patient must take it themselves. In Switzerland, individuals seeking assisted dying must undergo in-depth consultations with a physician at least twice, spaced two weeks apart.

Following Sarco’s public unveiling in July, the Swiss federal government decided not to allow its use or sale, citing violations of safety standards and chemical regulations governing nitrogen.