Swiss bishop warns suicide capsule is 'dangerous' as American woman dies in it

ZURICH (OSV News) -- Following the death of an American woman in a so-called suicide capsule in Switzerland and the arrest of several people involved in her death, a Swiss bishop said the device is "dangerous" and that people willing to use the capsule should be deferred to palliative care instead.

Swiss police have arrested several people after a controversial futuristic-looking "Sarco" capsule designed to allow its occupant to commit suicide was used for the first time, authorities said Sept. 24, according to CNN.

Prosecutors in Schaffhausen, which borders Germany and is where the suicide took place, have opened criminal proceedings against several people for "inducing and aiding and abetting suicide," a police statement said.

CNN reported that a spokesperson for the group behind the capsule, The Last Resort, said the deceased was a 64-year-old American woman who had been suffering from a severely compromised immune system.

Reacting to the news, the president of the Swiss bishops' conference, Bishop Felix Gmür of Basel, told the Swiss Catholic media website kath.ch Sept. 25 that the capsule "makes suicide too easy to access."

"The suicide capsule is dangerous because, unlike other assisted suicide organizations, a medical assessment is not required," said the bishop, whose diocese includes Schaffhausen.

"I would have directed the suicidal person towards palliative care, which has a holistic understanding of the person and looks at them in both their clinical and their psychosocial and existential dimensions," Bishop Gmür told the kath.ch media website.

"Relatives also play an important role in ensuring that the desperate person does not see themselves as a burden and feels loved and supported," he said.

Bishop Gmür added that "it is important to communicate with relatives and with a pastor, as well as to find out where hospices are available and how palliative and humane care is provided there."

According to the Swiss police, the "Sarco" suicide capsule was used Sept. 23 in a forest hut not far from the German border.

Assisted suicide is permitted in Switzerland under certain conditions. There are several organizations that offer such services. However, the Swiss authorities do not consider the "Sarco" device to be legally compliant.

CNN reported that the “Sarco” capsule causes death "when its occupant releases nitrogen gas inside, lowering the amount of oxygen to lethal levels." The capsule was created by Philip Nitschke, an Australian physician known for advocating assisted suicide since the 1990s.