Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
The creator behind the controversial suicide pod has spoken out after the device was seized by police.
On September 23, a 64-year-old woman died in the pod in a forest in Merishausen, Switzerland.
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In Switzerland assisted suicide is legal as long as the third party is not involved for selfish motivations, however as a result of the woman using a so-called suicide pod an investigation was launched into her passing scrutinizing members of a right-to-die group The Last Resort which was involved in her case.
Local media reported that 'strangulation marks' were allegedly found on the woman and so the investigation was widened, with chief prosecutor Peter Sticher questioning whether her passing involved 'intentional homicide' - allegations which have been slammed by the right-to-die group as 'ridiculous and absurd'.
Assisted dying remains a divisive topic with many arguing for people having the right to choose how and when to end their own life and euthanasia allowing them to have control of their own life and retain dignity within death. However, others argue against it, urging other avenues should be pursued which aren't so final with no room to turn back, some saying it reduces the value of human life.
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Dr Philip Nitschke's design of the so-called suicide pod - named the Saco pod - has subsequently faced similar controversy; receiving backlash for his creation with some criticizing it for its futuristic look as glamorizing suicide and others supportive of it offering people a right to choose when they want to die and the ability to 'control the method themselves'.
Dr Nitschke's pod allows a person to press a button which releases nitrogen gas into the chamber, removing all oxygen from the chamber, causing the person to fall asleep and then ultimately pass away, however the American woman believed to be the first to use it was discovered with what appeared to be 'strangulation marks'.
A criminal investigation had already been launched into the pod, with Schaffhausen Police issuing a statement revealing criminal proceedings had been launched against 'several persons for incitement, aiding and abetting suicide' with 'several persons being placed in police custody' including co-president of The Last Resort Association, Dr Florian Willet.
However, despite the pod being seized and the controversy surrounding the first person believed to have used it, Dr Nitschke - the doctor who founded The Last Resort - is already working on making another one.
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He said in a video shared on YouTube: "We haven't actually got any device to use now, so while I'm here in the Netherlands - and I'm here for the foreseeable future - we have started to print another one.
"As soon as we get that printed I guess we'll be able to plan some form of use of the device and we've got several strategies that we're looking at in detail that don't involve the uncertainty of Switzerland."
UNILAD has contacted Switzerland authorities for comment.
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If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Topics: Health, Police, World News, Mental Health
Poppy Bilderbeck