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Statement: 30 October 2024

Without the full autopsy report, The Last Resort cannot comment on the ‘suspicion’ of ‘injuries’ on the neck of the first Sarco user.

The Schaffhausen prosecutor has been reported in past media stating that the autopsy was conducted on 23 September 2024.

Five weeks later, the autopsy report has been kept hidden, including from the lawyers for The Last Resort and Exit International and persons involved.

The Last Resort and Exit International maintain that the Sarco worked precisely as planned and the user died peacefully from nitrogen hypoxia.

The allegations of intentional homicide are ridiculous and absurd. The Last Resort and Exit International strongly reject these allegations.

Continuous film footage from two cameras (one internal to the Sarco and one external focused on the Sarco and the environment) show:

• The woman entered the Sarco unaided @15.50.25
• The woman closed the lid of the Sarco unaided @ 15.54.05
• The woman pressed the internal activation button herself @ 15.54.45
• The police were contacted to report the death @ 16.30.00
• Police and forensic staff arrived at the scene @ 18.48.32
• The Sarco capsule was opened @ 19.22.25

There is continuous video footage of the Sarco from the time the woman entered the capsule until the time the police were called after her death.

There was NO interference or entry to the capsule.

Furthermore, the oxygen concentration was recorded and can be shown to have dropped sharply on activation and to have remained at lethal levels until well after the woman had died.

It is assumed that the prosecutor is in possession of the film footage and is aware of the factual circumstances surrounding the woman’s death.

The Last Resort has confidence in the Swiss criminal justice system and the rule of law.

The Last Resort welcomes a transparent and timely investigation and outcome.

At the beginning of October, Dr Philip Nitschke and Dr Fiona Stewart offered to come to Switzerland to be interviewed.

This offer was rejected by the Schaffhausen prosecutor.

END

Joint Statement

6 October

On 23 September 2024, the 3D-printed Sarco capsule was used at a private forest retreat in the Canton Schaffhausen in Switzerland.

The user was a 64-year-old, seriously ill woman from the American mid-west (who we shall call ‘Ann’).

Her death was caused by nitrogen hypoxia.

Ann acted voluntarily.

She had explained and confirmed beforehand that she wished to die for a long time and would be acting voluntarily to end her own life in the Sarco.

She entered the capsule voluntarily and unaided.

Ann pushed the button that activated the nitrogen voluntarily and unaided.

Dr. Florian Willet was the only person present at her death.

Florian was arrested on site and remains in pre-trial detention in Schaffhausen.

Timing

Ann entered the Sarco at around 15.53. She pushed the button at 15.54:45.

At around the same time Federal Council member, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider was speaking in the Swiss Parliament.

Only after the Sarco was used was it learned that Ms. Baume-Schneider had addressed the issue.

The timing was a pure coincidence and not our intention.

Applications

As of Monday 23 September, ~371 people were in the process of applying to use the Sarco in Switzerland.

Applications were suspended on Tuesday 24 September.

The process will remain suspended until the criminal investigation into the use of Sarco in Switzerland is concluded.

Proceedings in Switzerland

The Last Resort and Exit International maintain that no laws were broken and that the first use of the Sarco was lawful.

Ann had mental capacity, she acted voluntarily and she did the action that brought about her death by herself.

There were no selfish motives (no fees were charged, no one obtained a personal benefit etc.).

There exists proof for all of this.

Before the use of the Sarco, extensive legal advice over a period of years had been taken.

We are confident that the criminal investigation will conclude that no one is guilty of a crime. Dr. Philip Nitschke and Dr. Fiona Stewart have informed the public prosecutor’s office of Schaffhausen in writing that they are available to be questioned in Switzerland.

The Organisation

The Last Resort was established as a Swiss association to enable people to have access to the means of an elective, peaceful, non-drug death that is free of charge (except for ~CHF18 which is the cost of the required nitrogen).

On Monday 23 September, at approximately 16.01 CEST, a 64-year old woman from the the mid west in the USA died using the Sarco device.

Dr Florian Willet, copresident of The Last Resort Association and who was the sole person present for the death, described her passing as ‘peaceful, fast and dignified’.

The death took place in open air, under a canopy of trees, at a private forest retreat in the Canton of Schaffhausen close to the Swiss-German border.

‘Ann’ (not her real name) had been suffering for many years from a number of serious problems associated with severe immune compromise.

After monitoring events closely, Sarco inventor, Dr Philip Nitschke, said he was ‘pleased that the Sarco had performed exactly as it had been designed to do: that is to provide an elective, non-drug, peaceful death at the time of the person’s choosing’.

The Last Resort Advisory Board member and lawyer, Dr Fiona Stewart has said that The Last Resort was acting at all times on the legal advice of their lawyers.

Legal advice since 2021 has consistently found that the use of Sarco in Switzerland would be lawful.

4 August 2024 (updated 10 September)

Background to the Misinformation that has been spread in Swiss Media

In mid May, ‘Jennifer’ travelled to Europe in the hope of using the Sarco device.

She had joined Exit International as a member in July 2023 and had written expressly about wanting to use the device because it represented a de-medicalised option.

She liked the fact that it could be used outside in nature with a view of the Alps.

As an only child, with no close relatives, she said she appreciated the solitude that the Sarco offered. She did not want to be held by someone as she took her last breath.

Prior to her arrival in Europe, Jennifer expressed interest in talking to three trusted and respected journalists, on the condition that nothing would be published until after she had died.

A long career in corporate communications and a desire to, in her words, ‘extoll the virtues’ and ‘publicly share massive support’ led to her willing and enthusiastic participation in documenting her special journey.

On arrival in Europe, Jennifer had a bucket-list of items she wanted to tick off. She wanted to travel on the Glacier Express train, a short stay in 5-star hotel and to visit her ancestors’ burial site in Scotland.

The Last Resort team worked tirelessly to make her wish-list come true.

Equally, they worked to protect her privacy.

But this was not to be.

Somehow, Swiss newspaper NZZ got news that ‘someone’ was about to use the Sarco.

Their initial article on 3 July quoted Ruedi Habegger at Pegasos extensively.

It was then reported that Exit’s former Swiss coordinator, Sean Davison, was about to become the head of Pegasos (a fact unknown to Exit). A media leak did indeed take place.

When NZZ contacted The Last Resort seeking comment prior to publication, Dr Florian Willet pleaded with the journalist to hold off in order to not damage the person’s chosen path, and their mental health.

In the first week of July, Jennifer’s mood had become noticeably depressed and her behaviour increasingly erratic. Her MDD re-ignited, leading her towards an increasingly psychotic state.

While she had wanted to spend a week alone in Zermatt to gather her thoughts, this period of solitude proved disastrous.

In telephone calls and text messages it was clear that something was very wrong.

When NZZ refused to hold off publication, Jennifer’s fate seemed sealed.

A firestorm of media ensued in the German-language media.

The Last Resort did not tell Jennifer about the storm in order to protect her sanity. However, others did make her aware.

Jennifer went on to die at another clinic from a free lethal injection on 25 or 26 July.

Before she died, she made a series of allegations about The Last Resort.

These allegations were, presumably, made in conjunction with others who have deep financial interests in the business of assisted suicide in Switzerland.

The NZZ reported these allegations in the days after Jennifer’s death.

On 6 September, NZZ published a major correction (online and in print) about their reporting acknowledging significant errors.

While the TLR is pleased that the NZZ has acknowledged fault, the organisation has reserved its legal rights on the matter.

Summary

Had Jennifer’s end of life plans not been willfully exposed by the NZZ prior to her death, she may have still been able to use the Sarco device (which was her greatest wish)

Her MDD may have been kept in check and she may not have needed to have had the Sarco withdrawn.

Jennifer would then not have been seemingly manipulated into making untrue and baseless claims about the Sarco, The Last Resort or those who supported her time in Europe.

The Take-Away

Sarco is a lawful, free option for an assisted suicide in Switzerland.*

*The only consumable, nitrogen, is expected to cost ~ CHF18. There are other costs, eg. body removal, cremation and these are common for all accompanied suicides in the country.

Sarco is free to use, drug-free, and less demanding of the medical profession (no doctor’s prescription  for lethal drugs is required) than other methods.

The Sarco also serves a unique need among older people who are not seriously ill and others such as couples who find it next to impossible to get a doctor to presecribe them Nembutal (because they are not sick).

The campaign against Sarco’s introduction has powerful players who are deeply hostile to the new idea which the free Sarco represents.

Since Sarco was unveiled at Venice Design in 2018, the NZZ has taken an overtly critical line, replete with misinformation and consistent editorial bias.

The NZZ print correction to their reported allegations is below:

The NZZ online correction reads:

Korrigendum vom 3. September 2024: Am 31. Juli publizierte die NZZ die Geschichte von Jessica Campbell, die als erste Person in der Suizidkapsel Sarco hätte sterben können. In einem Schreiben, das sie nach ihrem Tod bei einer anderen Sterbehilfeorganisation hinterliess, erhebt Campbell schwere Vorwürfe gegen die Leute, die hinter Sarco stehen. Es sind dies insbesondere Fiona Stewart und Florian Willet von der Organisation The Last Resort. Die NZZ konfrontierte Willet und Stewart mit diesen Vorwürfen und gab auch Willets Antworten detailliert wieder: Er stritt alle «Unterstellungen» ab. Willet betonte auch, dass es «selbstverständlich» nicht möglich sei, der NZZ jene Dokumente vorzulegen, die eine «freundlichen Interaktion zwischen unserer Interessentin und uns» belegen würden. Nach Publikation des Artikels hat The Last Resort nun aber der NZZ zahlreiche Dokumente zur Verfügung gestellt, die einige Aussagen von Jessica Campbell widerlegen oder zumindest in Frage stellen. So hat Fiona Stewart die Reise nach Schottland selbst bezahlt, dies zeigen Kontoauszüge zu Flug- und Hotelbuchungen sowie Reservationen eines Mietwagens. In einer SMS bedankte sich Campbell zudem überschwänglich bei Stewart für die Reise, die das «Abenteuer ihres Lebens» gewesen sei. Auch die Behauptung von Campbell, man habe gegen ihren Willen ein Hotel für 1000 Franken pro Nacht für sie gebucht, kann Stewart widerlegen. Campbell schrieb in einer Nachricht, sie würde gern ein einem Luxushotel absteigen. Stewart wies Campbell darauf hin, dass das Hotel in Luzern «extrem teuer» sei, was Campbell offensichtlich nicht dazu veranlasste, die Buchung zu stoppen. Gegen die Aussage von Campbell, sie sei ausgebeutet worden, spricht weiter die Tatsache, dass sie bei ihrem Tod unbezahlte Rechnungen in der Höhe von rund 1400 Franken hinterliess, etwa für drei Hotelübernachtungen und eine Fahrt im Glacier Express, 1. Klasse. Nicht korrekt ist die Aussage im Artikel, dass Zermatt, wo sich Campbell aufhielt, einer der möglichen Orte für die Sarco-Premiere war. Da sich Stewart gemäss eigenen Angaben nicht in Zermatt befand, trifft ihrer Ansicht nach die Aussage Campells nicht zu, wonach es Stewart nicht zugelassen habe, dass Campell in Zermatt trotz blutigem Husten einen Arzt oder eine Apotheke hätte aufsuchen können. Die im Artikel von Campell geäusserte Behauptung, wonach sie gegen ihren Willen von einem Kameramann begleitet worden sei, bestreitet Stewart mit Hinweis auf gegenteilig lautende SMS-Chats ebenfalls.

30 July 2024

Contact

Dr Florian Willet, media@thelastresort.ch, The Last Resort
+41 75 410 1112

Dr Philip Nitschke, contact@exitinternational.net, Exit International
+31 6 309 66992

Jennifer