The creator of a controversial suicide pod has spoken out after several people were detained after it was used for the first time.
The Sarco pods, developed by Swiss company The Last Resort, offer assisted suicide to patients seeking to end their lives.
The device, designed by Dr. Philip Nitschke - often referred to as “Dr. Death” - is said to provide a painless method of death.
The Sarco pod is designed to allow users to end their lives autonomously by filling the pod with nitrogen, causing death by oxygen deprivation, per BBC News.
It can be operated solely by the individual seeking to die, without the need for drugs or the presence of medical professionals.
Swiss police have made multiple arrests following what is believed to be the first reported case of someone ending their life using the Sarco pod.
The incident occurred on Monday in the Schaffhausen region of Switzerland.
Authorities said they detained several individuals on suspicion of incitement and aiding and abetting suicide after the Sarco-made pod was reportedly used.
The device and the body were recovered at the scene, located at a forest hut in the Merishausen area, near the German border, per the Guardian.
Police were alerted to the suicide by a local law firm but have not disclosed the number of arrests or the identities of those detained.
The name of the deceased has also not been released.
It is reported that the deceased was an American woman who traveled to Switzerland to end her life.
Dr. Nitschke, speaking to Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant, commented on the woman's determination to end her life.
"When she entered the Sarco, she almost immediately pressed the button. She didn’t say anything. She really wanted to die," he said.
“My estimate is that she lost consciousness within two minutes and that she died after five minutes.”
Nitschke added: "We saw jerky, small twitches of the muscles in her arms, but she was probably already unconscious by then. It looked exactly how we expected it to look."
Dr. Nitschke revealed that those arrested included the director of The Last Resort, two lawyers providing legal assistance to the company, and a Dutch journalist.
In a post, Nitschke shared more about the setting of the woman’s death, stating: “An idyllic peaceful death in a Swiss forest where The Last Resort used the Sarco device to help a US woman have the death she wanted.”
Swiss authorities have since confirmed that they have opened a criminal investigation in connection with the woman’s death.
Switzerland has permitted assisted suicide since 1942, provided the individual seeking death is not influenced by selfish motives.
However, euthanasia - where another person directly causes the death of the individual - is illegal in the country.
In July, a pro-assisted dying group advocating for the use of the Sarco device stated they expected it to be used for the first time this year.
Supporters argue that the pod provides a new option for assisted suicide that is not reliant on doctors or pharmaceuticals.
The device, which is portable and can be 3D-printed and assembled at home, is seen as a way to expand access to euthanasia.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.
