September 23, 2020
Fake News Alert: the State of Hawaii did not purchase 30 Sarcos!
In a Facebook post on 16 August 2020, the State of Hawaii reported the following:
“As of January 1st, 2019, the state of Hawaii legalized assisted suicide. With the legalization, doctors can now prescribe death as a medical procedure. To aid Hawaii’s medical providers, we have purchased 30 passing assistance pods. These pods/machines are prescribed to patients to use should they feel the need to end their current life term.
To make the procedure as calming as possible, clients enter the pod and are able to select a movie, tv-show, or music to view and/or hear while they pass on.
To start the procedure, the client must hold their hand down on a button for 30 seconds; this confirms to the system that they are ready to go. At this point, the pod door locks and a mixture of gases are dispensed into the pod. These gases cause the person’s brain to slowly shut down over a period of around 15 minutes. The combination of gases is tasteless and odorless and causes the patient to fall into an endless sleep.
Once the procedure is completed, the internal membrane of the booth detaches, and a pump sucks the air out of the pod, this shrink wraps the body inside. The body is then lifted out of the pod and is disposed of per the client’s wishes. A new membrane and gas canisters are installed ready for the next person.
The total procedure takes proximity for one hour, and each pod is capable is serving approximately ten clients a day. This fast, effective service should allow the majority of people to experience very low wait times, but should they be needed, we may consider ordering more pods.
For those interested in the procedure, we advise you to speak to your medical provider.”
The Facebook Post went viral attracting >195k shares & 62k comments.
Exit became aware of the post when we started to receive emails inquiring about delivery times.
The only problem was the post was not true!
The real Hawaii Department of Health would later clarify:
“The Hawaii Department of Health has not procured any ‘suicide pods’ for use under Hawaii’s medical aid in dying law, nor for any other purpose,” a spokesperson for the Hawaii Department of Health confirmed in an email to the DCNF. “The department has no intention or plans to procure that or similar devices.”
The Fake News was later exposed by: