Whale Large Capital
  • Politics
  • World News
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Politics
  • World News
  • Business
  • Investing

Whale Large Capital

World News

Use of ‘suicide capsule’ suspended pending criminal probe after American woman dies

by October 7, 2024
October 7, 2024
Use of ‘suicide capsule’ suspended pending criminal probe after American woman dies

Editor’s Note: Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters. In the US, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Globally, the International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world.

Advocacy groups behind a so-called suicide capsule said Sunday they have suspended the process of taking applications to use it — which numbered over 370 last month — as a criminal investigation into its first use in Switzerland is completed.

The president of Switzerland-based The Last Resort, Florian Willet, is being held in pretrial detention, said the group and Exit International, an affiliate founded in Australia over a quarter century ago.

Swiss police arrested Willet and several other people following the death of an unidentified 64-year-old woman from the U.S. Midwest who on Sept. 23 became the first person to use the device, known as the “Sarco,” in a forest in the northern Schaffhausen region near the German border.

Others initially detained were released from custody, authorities have said.

Switzerland has some of the most permissive laws in the world when it comes to assisted suicide, though the first use of the Sarco has prompted a debate among lawmakers.

Laws in the rich Alpine country permit assisted suicide so long as the person takes his or her life with no “external assistance” and those who help the person die do not do so for “any self-serving motive.”

The advocacy groups said in a statement Sunday that 371 people were “in the process of applying” to use the Sarco in Switzerland as of Sept. 23 and applications were suspended after its first use.

Exit International, whose founder Dr. Philip Nitschke is based in the Netherlands, is behind the 3D-printed device that cost over $1 million to develop.

The Sarco capsule is designed to allow a person sitting in a reclining seat inside to push a button that injects nitrogen gas from a tank underneath into the sealed chamber, allowing the person to fall asleep and then die by suffocation in a few minutes.

Exit International has said Willet was the only person present at the woman’s death, and described it as “peaceful, fast and dignified.” Those claims could not be independently verified.

On the same day as the woman died, Swiss Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider told parliament that use of the Sarco would not be legal. The woman was said to be severely immunocompromised.

Exit says its lawyers in Switzerland believe use of the device is legal.

“Only after the Sarco was used was it learned that Ms. Baume-Schneider had addressed the issue,” the advocacy groups said in the statement Sunday. “The timing was a pure coincidence and not our intention.”

This post appeared first on cnn.com
0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
CVS is under pressure and considering a breakup. Here’s why that could be risky.
next post
A massive blast outside Karachi Airport in Pakistan kills 2 and injures at least 8

You may also like

Ecuador votes for a new president after years...

February 9, 2025

How a 24-hour livestream of moose became a...

April 16, 2025

France faces its largest child abuse trial, weeks...

February 24, 2025

Concern grows for detained journalist awarded by US...

October 3, 2024

Israeli forces detain prominent Palestinian journalist in early...

April 29, 2025

Australia’s center-left Labor Party looks set to retain...

May 3, 2025

Kate goes back to work, days after cancer...

September 18, 2024

‘Be bold and do it anyway’: Mo Abudu...

May 2, 2025

Ceasefire ‘will end’ if Hamas does not return...

February 11, 2025

US vetoes UN Security Council resolution demanding Gaza...

June 5, 2025

    Subscribe today to receive exclusive access to all our retirement secrets and income strategies, including special financial news and updates from our experts. From time to time, our newsletters feature valuable insights and analysis on the latest financial trends. Don't miss out on these exclusive updates – join our subscription to stay informed!


    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.



    Latest

    • Trump dismisses Musk’s political ambitions as ‘ridiculous’ in sharp rebuke

      July 7, 2025
    • Israel carries out first strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen since Israel-Iran ceasefire

      July 6, 2025
    • Suriname parliament elects first female president

      July 6, 2025
    • Iran still wants a nuclear weapon despite ‘serious damage’ from US, Israeli strikes: expert warns

      July 6, 2025
    • Wildfires sweep through forests in drought-hit Syrian coast in major test for new government

      July 6, 2025
    • Dalai Lama marks his 90th birthday as crowds throng his home-in-exile

      July 6, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (706)
    • Investing (661)
    • Politics (4,804)
    • World News (3,184)
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact us
    • About us

    Disclaimer: WhaleLargeCapital.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2024 WhaleLargeCapital.com | All Rights Reserved