Authorities say Dutch-made assisted suicide pod is illegal to use in the Netherlands

It is punishable by law to let someone take their own life in a “suicide pod.” If use of the suicide pod is successful, this would constitute illegally assisting in an individual's suicide, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Thursday. Vicky Maeijer, the State Secretary for Long-term and Social Care, also pointed out on Wednesday that the use of such devices is currently against Dutch law.

The Cooperative Last Will (CLW) wants the assisted suicide pod Sarco to be available for use in the Netherlands. People who wish to die can lie in the pod and press a button, which releases nitrogen. The user then loses consciousness before running out of oxygen and dying.

The organization lobbies for people to have more rights in determining how and when their life comes to an end. They argue that the Sarco is a tool to make it possible for someone to comfortably end their own life without relying on doctors or others to administer a medical overdose.

The pod was developed and manufactured in the Netherlands. The first person to die through use of the suicide pod was a 64-year-old from the United States. This happened in Switzerland and was followed by authorities seizing the pod in the country.

While presenting their plan on Wednesday, the CLW said that they were going to ask the OM if offering the Sarco as an aid for self-assisted suicide is illegal. A spokesperson for the CLW has said that the organization has had no contact with the Public Prosecution Service and the organization is waiting for this to happen first before responding to the news.

Don Cedar of the ChristenUnie party has “legal, ethical, and medical issues” with the Sarco, he said this on Wednesday during a debate about end-of-life care. He described the practice as “reprehensible and dangerous,” and pushed for the Netherlands to not allow this practice to happen in the country. The ChristenUnie wants the Cabinet to make a statement banning the pod as soon as possible.

Maeijer agreed with Cedar. “The Cabinet wants to reduce the number of suicides. In the Netherlands, it is a criminal offense to assist another person in suicide or to provide that other person with means to do so if the suicide is successful. The capsule falls under that criminal offense," said the State Secretary.