Nitrogen capsule triggers suicide incident in Switzerland

In a groundbreaking and controversial event, a 64-year-old American woman has passed away in Switzerland after using the 'Sarco' suicide capsule filled with nitrogen. The incident took place at a private forest retreat in the canton of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland.

The 'Sarco' is a device invented by Australian philosopher Philip Nitschke, and it was presented by the Swiss euthanasia organisation Last Resort. The organisation's director, Florian Willet, was the only person present at the woman's death.

According to Nitschke, the woman lost consciousness within two minutes and died after five minutes. The Schaffhausen police have seized the capsule, and the woman's body was taken to the forensic institute in Zurich for further investigation.

The authorities are also investigating whether other criminal offences have been committed, and media reports suggest that the operators of the Sarco machine may face prison sentences of up to 5 years. Swiss interior minister, Élisabeth Baume-Schneider, has questioned the moral and legal status of the Sarco, stating it would not meet product safety requirements and that nitrogen in the Sarco does not meet the rules of the Chemicals Act.

Markus Zimmermann, a titular professor of moral theology and ethics at the University of Fribourg and chair of the National Ethics Committee in the field of human medicine, has raised concerns against the device. He stated that dying using the Sarco, cut off from the environment and fellow human beings, is a very inhumane way of dying. He also said that the Sarco trivializes this moment, and modern hyper-individualism is taken to extremes.

Several individuals have been arrested for incitement and aiding and abetting suicide, including Florian Willet, two lawyers, and a Dutch journalist who accompanied the first use of the 'Sarco' suicide capsule. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, provided the person takes his or her life without external assistance and without any self-serving motive by those who help.

However, the controversy surrounding the 'Sarco' continues, with many questioning its ethical and legal implications. The investigation into the woman's death and the use of the 'Sarco' is ongoing, and further developments are expected in the coming weeks.