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Swiss police arrest people after death of woman in 'suicide capsule'
Swiss police have arrested several people after the death of a woman in a suicide capsule developed in the Netherlands. Among them, according to the Volkskrant, is also a photographer from the newspaper, who follows the case.
The woman died yesterday in the Schaffhausen area and was the first person to die in the capsule filled with nitrogen gas, reports the Volkskrant. According to the Swiss Minister of Health, the use of the capsule is illegal.
The death of the 64-year-old American woman was confirmed to the Volkskrant by Philip Nitschke, an Australian doctor living in the Netherlands. He invented the capsule and is known as a champion in the field of the right to self-determination. He worked for years on the development of this 3D-printed capsule called Sarco.
When the woman died, Florian Willet, director of The Last Resort, the Swiss organization that supervised the process, was present. He informed the Swiss police after her death. Police have also confirmed her death.
The woman would have been walking around with a wish to die for "at least two years", she says in a recording that the Volkskrant listened to. She would have been diagnosed with a serious illness that made her in a lot of pain. She also says in the recording that her two sons are completely behind it and that this is her decision.
Not according to the law
The capsule stood in a forest in the canton of Schaffhausen, near the German border. The choice of Switzerland as a place to die was not accidental; it is one of the few countries where assisted suicide is allowed under certain conditions.
But Swiss Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider said yesterday that the Sarco does not comply with the law. Supervisor Swissmedic found early last month that the capsule is not a medical device. It has yet to be determined which legislation applies to the capsule.
"Admittedly, Switzerland is one of the few countries where assisted suicide is allowed and the country has a 'tradition' with different end-of-life clinics, there are also a lot of guarantees that must be met there", says professor of health law Martin Buijsen of Erasmus University.
In the Netherlands, assisted suicide, often by family members, always leads to prosecution, although due to the circumstances, a suspended sentence is often given.
Seized
In addition to the Volkskrant photographer, director Willet of The Last Resort may have been arrested, according to the newspaper. The Sarco used was confiscated by the police.
Swiss police arrest people after death of woman in 'suicide capsule'
Swiss police have arrested several people after the death of a woman in a suicide capsule developed in the Netherlands. Among them, according to the Volkskrant, is also a photographer from the newspaper, who follows the case.
The woman died yesterday in the Schaffhausen area and was the first person to die in the capsule filled with nitrogen gas, reports the Volkskrant. According to the Swiss Minister of Health, the use of the capsule is illegal.
The death of the 64-year-old American woman was confirmed to the Volkskrant by Philip Nitschke, an Australian doctor living in the Netherlands. He invented the capsule and is known as a champion in the field of the right to self-determination. He worked for years on the development of this 3D-printed capsule called Sarco.
When the woman died, Florian Willet, director of The Last Resort, the Swiss organization that supervised the process, was present. He informed the Swiss police after her death. Police have also confirmed her death.
The woman would have been walking around with a wish to die for "at least two years", she says in a recording that the Volkskrant listened to. She would have been diagnosed with a serious illness that made her in a lot of pain. She also says in the recording that her two sons are completely behind it and that this is her decision.
Not according to the law
The capsule stood in a forest in the canton of Schaffhausen, near the German border. The choice of Switzerland as a place to die was not accidental; it is one of the few countries where assisted suicide is allowed under certain conditions.
But Swiss Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider said yesterday that the Sarco does not comply with the law. Supervisor Swissmedic found early last month that the capsule is not a medical device. It has yet to be determined which legislation applies to the capsule.
"Admittedly, Switzerland is one of the few countries where assisted suicide is allowed and the country has a 'tradition' with different end-of-life clinics, there are also a lot of guarantees that must be met there", says professor of health law Martin Buijsen of Erasmus University.
In the Netherlands, assisted suicide, often by family members, always leads to prosecution, although due to the circumstances, a suspended sentence is often given.
Seized
In addition to the Volkskrant photographer, director Willet of The Last Resort may have been arrested, according to the newspaper. The Sarco used was confiscated by the police.
