Suicide is a common issue worldwide. However, those suffering from a terminal illness, and low quality of life, have been given the option of assisted suicide in certain places. Now, Switzerland is set to go one step further, introducing the suicide pod, and it won’t require “medical supervision.”
The Suicide Pod Creator
Philip Nitschke is a 76-year-old Swiss and the founder of Exit International. He’s notorious for “attempting to glamourize suicides.” However, he has a different perspective. The inventor of the suicide pod made something powerful that, if used correctly, could save resources and aid those without hope into a peaceful passing. However, little is known about death, and as such, “There is no reliable information about the method of killing, completely unclear who has control over which mechanical process during the dying process,” according to Philip.
How the Suicide Pod Operates
He explained how the suicide pod works, although there isn’t much known about the process. He shares that once the person is inside the suicide pod, there’s a voice that says, “If you want to die press this button”. After the button is pushed the oxygen levels in the suicide pod drop, going from 21% to 0.05% in 30 seconds. In place of oxygen, the suicide pod is filled with nitrogen. “They will then stay in that state of unconsciousness for … around about five minutes before death will take place,” the suicide pod creator said. “Once you press that button, there’s no way of going back.”
Privacy Regarding a Sensitive Matter
In contrast, there haven’t been any official plans regarding the time, date, or place of the first use of the suicide pod. Nor has a user been disclosed. Furthermore, it’s unknown if that information will be made public because “we really don’t want a person’s desire for a peaceful passing [in] Switzerland to turn into a media circus,” said Fiona Stewart, a lawyer on The Last Resort’s advisory board. Meanwhile, she explained that the suicide pod’s first use would likely be sometime this year. However, footage from inside the suicide pod is given to the coroner after the pod has done its job.
