FAQs

The Last Resort (TLR) is a non-profit human rights/ end of life association based in Switzerland.

The philosophy of The Last Resort is that access to an elective, peaceful death at the time of one's choosing is a fundamental human right.

The Last Resort is different to existing Swiss assisted suicide groups because we offer:

• free service
• make use of the unique 3D-printed Sarco
• drug-free

And that is just for starters ...

The Last Resort took its name from the Eagles Song 'The Last Resort' on the Hotel California album from 1976. The song has been said to be: "an epic track that presented the entire world as a resort being destroyed by the greedy, self-serving and short-sighted machinations of the human race" with "an alluring pop arrangement". That philosophy resonates with The Last Resort. The beauty of nature should be appreciated not squandered. A peaceful death surrounded by the beauty of nature - what is not to like ...

The Last Resort logo was inspired by the end of summer tradition where cows (& sheep) are decorated in flowers as they descend from the high summer pastures before the snow arrives. The term is 'Transumanza' in Italian, 'Désalpes' in French and 'Alpabzug' in German. The tradition signifies a type of home-coming, the end of a summer well lived and the approach of winter. At The Last Resort we can see parallels with a life well lived and now preparing for its end.

Everyone can support our work by becoming a member. Membership has no age restriction. You can also support our work by way of donations, gifts and bequests.

The Last Resort accepts members from across the world including, of course, from Switzerland.

There is no age restriction to join The Last Resort and support our work, however, The Last Resort insists that users of the Sarco are aged at least 50 years. Applications from younger people who are seriously physically ill may be considered.

No, the Sarco and The Last Resort are not related to other groups.

The brief of designing the Sarco was to make a portable object of aesthetic beauty: a device that could be transported to a chosen outdoor location: eg. the forest, the beach or the mountains. Dying under a clear night sky or in a rainstorm beats a windowless room in an industrial estate.

The Sarco is not and never will be for sale. In due course, the 3D print plans will be made available open source to people qualifying.

Sarco is short for sarcophagus. A sarcophagus is an above ground crypt. The earliest sarcophagi are thought to date to the Egyptian pharaohs.

At the current time the Sarco is not available for sale or loan.

The Sarco is able to be lawfully used in Switzerland because this is one of the few countries in the world where it is not a crime to help someone to die (under certain conditions). Even in countries where assisted dying and euthanasia are lawful, the Sarco is not permitted. This is because, in those countries (eg. Netherlands), only doctors can help patients to die. In the Netherlands, the doctor must use a set regime of drugs. In the Netherlands, the person must be terminally ill (normally) or suffering unbearably. In almost all countries, old age, on its own, is not sufficient.

No, the Swiss government has not approved the use of Sarco. This is because Swiss law is such that approval is not necessary. Swiss assisted suicide law allows for the use of a device such as Sarco in the context of assisted suicide as long as 3 main factors are satisfied:

1. The user presses the activation button
2. The user has mental capacity
3. Those providing the Sarco are altruistic in their motives

To be helped to die in Switzerland the person must be an adult. The Last Resort insists that users of the Sarco are aged at least 50 years. It is important to understand and appreciate the permanence of death. Younger people who are seriously physically ill may also be considered.

The Last Resort is a Swiss incorporated association. As an association it operates on a non-profit basis.

The parts of a Sarco can be printed in around 1250 hours with multiple printers printing.

While the Sarco that was used in Switzerland is only suitable for one person, a 'couples' Sarco is now under consideration.

Yes, not all of the Sarco is 3D printed. Some of the fittings (eg. door hinges) are not 3D printed. The nitrogen container in the base of the capsule (the dewar) is not 3D printed. Nor is the perspex window.

The Sarco is 3D printed because it is 3D printing that makes the Sarco 'relatively easily' replicable. The price of 3D printing is also falling exponentially. The ability to make a cost-effective Sarco (and therefore a cost-effective yet reliable means of bringing about a peaceful death) was a core aim of the entire Sarco project.

The same Sarco can be used many times over. The only consumable of the Sarco is the liquid nitrogen. Note - it was first envisaged that the Sarco could also be a coffin. This plan has since been abandoned for environmental and economic reasons. For the sake of the planet and given the resources that go into the 3D print process, it makes far more sense to reuse and recycle than produce singe-use only Sarcos.

Purple is the colour of dignity.

At the current time, the Sarco project has cost > €650,000 in R&D. The project began in 2012. Future Sarcos are expected to cost around €15,000, which includes the interior. The cost of the nitrogen is ~CHF18.

The Sarco was 3D-printed in the Netherlands.

The Sarco has gone through a number of iterations in its R&D process. These include a laser-cut timber model that was displayed at the Amsterdam Funeral Fair in 2018 and a non-functioning purple 'showroom model' which was unveiled at Venice Design in 2019 and Cube Design Museum in 2020.

Yes, the Sarco is especially suitable for a person with movement impairment due to either disease (MND/ ALS) or paralysis (quadriplegia). The interior button can be modified so the user within the capsule can activate the process with the blink of an eye, literally.

The Sarco brings about death by replacing the normal room air (21% oxygen/ ~79% nitrogen) with 100% nitrogen. This means that there is no oxygen in the capsule. Without oxygen, a person quickly loses consciousness and dies soon after.

Sarco does NOT use, or rely on, posion gas of any kind. Sarco uses nitrogen gas. Nitrogen gas is not poisonous. Nitrogen gas makes up 79% of the air that we breathe.

No, the Sarco is not a gas chamber. Gas chambers (eg. during the Holocaust or in American capital punishment) used poisonous gas (eg. Zyklon B - Hydrogen Cyanide). Sarco does not use poisonous gas. In capital punishment in the US, the poison gas carbon monoxide was used. Sarco uses NO poison gas.

The January 2024 execution of death row prisoner, Kenny Smith, was a violent non-elective death. Kenny did not want to die and so did all he could (eg. held his breath) to prevent the process being effective. Sadly, he failed. Dr Philip Nitschke appeared as an expert witness in court in Montgomery, Alabama in December 2023 for the defense (for Kenny Smith). He met Kenny shortly prior to his death at Holman Correctional Centre. Dr Nitschke's main point in his deposition was that a nitrogen hypoxia death (low oxygen) should never be forced on a person. Nitrogen hypoxia is only peaceful when the recipient is a willing participant and is willing to take deep, purposeful breaths. Dr Nitschke also testified that facemasks should never be used because of the risk of air leakage once the recipient loses consciousness and their facial muscles relax.

To be clear, the Sarco:
- is not a device that will ever be used in the context of a non-elective death
- does not involve the use of a face mask
- Sarco does not use compressed gas

The Last Resort is free because we believe that a good death is a fundamental human right. There is no moral mandate to charge CHF10K plus for a peaceful and reliable assisted suicide. Exit Schweiz (the group that caters to Swiss nationals and residents) does not charge huge amounts. The Last Resort agrees with this approach.

Yes, there is a range of costs that a person who dies at The Last Resort will pay. For example, a person must organise a funeral home to remove their body and then there is cremation. This cost varies from canton to canton. Another minor cost is the cost of the liquid nitrogen purchase (~CHF18). TLR can assist with these matters but the payment will be a matter for the service provider and the user of the Sarco.

The main groups that provide assisted suicide services to foreigners charge around the same amount for their services. Exit Schweiz (the group that caters to Swiss nationals and residents) does not charge the same. When asked at a recent UK Parliamentary inquiry why Exit Schweiz and Dignitas charged such different amounts, the answers given were obtuse. This left the committee and the public none the wiser.

The Sarco does not encourage suicide. It takes many months to print / assemble a Sarco (and considerable money). If a person (eg with depression) seeks to (irrationally) suicide, they will be much more likely to find the most easy and immediate means (eg. jumping in front of a train or using a gun). Sarco takes time, money and planning.

Suicide is never glamorous. Making the decision to take your own life is the most serious decision a person will ever make. But there is a difference between the irrational suicide of a mentally ill teen and the considered rational suicide of an elderly person who says that they have lived long enough and now is the time to go. The Sarco is for the elderly. It is for people who have lived a good, long life. The Sarco is also for those who are seriously ill and suffering. The Sarco is not, and never will be, for the young. The Last Resort fully believes and supports suicide prevention among the young. But this does not mean that older people should be denied agency over their end of life decisions.

The design plans of the Sarco will be published, in due course, open source (with age restrictions) or in The Peaceful Pill eHandbook Essentials Edition at www.peacefulpillhandbook.com.

The Sarco is not banned in Switzerland. However there have been several fanciful news articles from journalists who have never been granted an interview. Never let the facts stand in the way of a good story!

Yes. Absolutely. The Last Resort has taken extensive legal advice over many years and is very willing to cooperate with any investigation that a prosecutor may wish to conduct.

The two organisations work closely together.