Sarco, a 3D-Printed Suicide Capsule, Has Been Approved in Switzerland

It is a topic that has been the subject of heated debate for decades: euthanasia, otherwise known as assisted suicide. Yet the legal situation is different in every country. Anyone who wants to gain an overview of the applicable regulations must not only be able to distinguish between terms such as suicide, active and passive euthanasia, assisted suicide, etc., but also know the country-specific criteria of care. But the fact of the matter is that more and more countries are re-regulating euthanasia in the law. In 2021 alone, the law in Spain and Austria was redefined in favor of access to euthanasia. In Switzerland, assisted suicide is legal not only for the Swiss themselves, but also for people from abroad. Now, a 3D-printed suicide pod, named Sarco, has now been approved as a new option in the country.

In Switzerland, there are two large associations, Exit and Dignitas, which accompany people in assisted suicide. People who are willing to die are accompanied by an assisted suicide companion until they take a prescription substance on their own, following a medical assessment. Usually, liquid sodium pentobarbital is taken in a glass of water. The person falls asleep, after two to five minutes in a deep coma, until they die a short time later. A new alternative to this process is to be offered by “Sarco”: a 3D-printed euthanasia pod designed specifically for a more peaceful death.

Sarco – the 3D printed machine with an attractive design

The idea of leaving assisted suicide to a machine came from Australian Dr. Philip Nitschke. For years, the self-professed euthanasia activist considered how to take the stamp of the “angel of death” and the resulting pressure off doctors and caring staff. For him, it was clear that people willing to die should be able to carry out suicide autonomously, without having to rely on assistance or resort to inhumane methods of dying. With his idea, he eventually approached Dutch product designer Alexander Bannink to jointly design the Sarco. According to Bannink, the focus of the development was the design of Sarco, which at first glance is reminiscent of a sleeping capsule from a science fiction flick or a utopian coffin.