November 27, 2024
Will suicide capsule Sarco come to the Netherlands?
‘People say: when can I get in?’
Coöperatie Laatste Wil, the organisation that previously introduced Middel X, wants to try to bring suicide capsule Sarco into use in the Netherlands via a tolerated construction.
From December, interested parties can register, although supplying the Sarco may be punishable.
Maud Effting and Haro Kraak – are journalists from the Volkskrant. They write about the voluntary end of life and euthanasia.
27 November 2024, 05:00
The inventor of the Sarco, Philip Nitschke, looks at his suicide capsule in a workshop.Image Linelle Deunk
‘From our members we hear nothing but enthusiasm,’ says board member Bert Homan. ‘People are saying: when can I get in?’
In late September, the first human in the Sarco, an American woman, died in Switzerland.
The capsule, which works with nitrogen gas, was subsequently seized by Swiss prosecutors. Meanwhile, Australian doctor Philip Nitschke, inventor of the Sarco, says he is working on 3D printing a new capsule, which he plans to make available to the Last Will Cooperative (CLW).
‘I don’t know if the use will fall within Dutch law, but I am curious to see if new avenues can be found.’
For now, it is a plan. Because assisted suicide is banned in the Netherlands, supplying the Sarco to people who want to die is likely to be punishable.
The Cooperative therefore wants to negotiate an exception with politicians to tolerate the Sarco under conditions. Through a petition, the organisation wants to collect signatures and force their plan to be discussed in the Lower House.
The Sarco is an airtight capsule large enough for a human to lie in. After pressing a button, the cabin fills with nitrogen gas, after which the user is deprived of oxygen and loses consciousness soon after. ‘This leads to a gentle death within 10 minutes,’ says CLW board member Homan.
In Switzerland, the use of the Sarco led to legal problems. Nitschke had chosen this country because assisted suicide is legal there.
Nevertheless, the Swiss judiciary reacted with unprecedented fierceness: several people were arrested, including two lawyers and a Volkskrant photographer . One person involved is still in detention.
Waiting and reflection time
CLW, the organisation that has been fighting for self-determination at the end of life for years, now wants to explore Dutch options. According to their plan, anyone aged 55 and over who might want to use the capsule in the future can register.
This will be followed by a waiting period of at least six months. Only if a participant indicates they actually want to die will the six-week reflection period start. During this time, an expert determines whether the participant is capable of making a will.
If so, the Sarco is eventually delivered to a place of choice. ‘This allows someone to die wherever they want,’ says Homan, ‘although you shouldn’t do it in a place where others will be inconvenienced.’
With the Sarco, CLW thinks it will address the main objections it encountered with Means X.
For instance, CLW was reproached that this suicide powder could be taken on a whim, for instance by young people or vulnerable people, and that the drug could also be used for murder.
In addition, cases were reported where dying ended in agony. Homan: ‘Our Sarco plan is a system against which there is nothing left to argue, except philosophical arguments – but you won’t convince those people anyway.’
Not all the details have been worked out yet, he admits. For instance, it is not yet clear exactly what happens after the Sarco is delivered. ‘We would like to discuss the conditions with politicians,’ says Homan.
Broad support
Recent research by the Dutch Association for a Voluntary End of Life (NVVE) shows that 65 per cent of the population believes people should be able to decide to end their lives themselves if they feel it is ‘complete’.
‘A large majority supports this,’ says CLW board member Homan. ‘So why stop it? If society wants this, surely it is up to politicians to organise it?’
Interestingly, psychiatrist Boudewijn Chabot also recently launched a ‘nitrogen method’ in his quest for humane death. Chabot, who has raised several end-of-life issues in recent years, published an ‘information film’ about dying with nitrogen that can only be seen for a fee.
In NRC, he previously said that, in his opinion, the Sarco gives an ‘overly romantic touch’ to self-chosen death. His method is based on the same principle as the Sarco, though.