In 2018, Nitschke announced the creation of his Sarco, short for “sarcophagus,” capsule, which kills people with just the click of a button. It can be created using a 3D printer, and comes with a coffin included, to make things even more convenient. “The person who wants to die presses the button and the capsule is filled with nitrogen. He or she will feel a bit dizzy but will then rapidly lose consciousness and die,” Nitschke explained when announcing the machine. Once he has perfected his deadly design, he said he would put the plans online for anyone to access and create themselves.

READ: Assisted suicides not counted among CDC’s reported suicide statistics

By 2021, Nitschke had gone through two different versions of Sarco. “The first Sarco is being displayed at the Museum for Sepulchral Culture in Kassel, Germany, from September 2021 to August 2022,” he said. “The second turned out not to be aesthetically pleasing. For that and various other reasons it’s not the best one to use.”

On the Exit International website, Sarco is heavily featured, with a tagline, “Death is a voyage of sorts… Sarco makes it an event to remember.” It also explained that in July, they finalized the third version of Sarco, and plan to put it in use soon. “Sarco 3.0 is the version that will, ultimately, be used in Switzerland,” the website says. “In July 2023, Sarco completed its final technical instrument testing in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The level of oxygen was found to drop precipitously to less than 0 in around 60 seconds. Furthermore, this state of zero oxygen was retained for up to 15 minutes, thereby ensuring a peaceful and reliable death to the user inside.”

With Nitschke’s new non-profit venture, tax-deductible donations will be able to keep Exit’s deadly work going.

Not everyone supports Nitschke; the families of his victims have been understandably distraught, with one even confronting him directly.

“There are young people who have died, people with depression. It’s wrong, it’s totally irresponsible, he’s a doctor, it’s wrong,” she shouted at him. “Apologise for what happened to my father. The information you put out kills people who are not in a rational state of mind to make that decision.”

READ: Assisted suicides not counted among CDC’s reported suicide statistics

By 2021, Nitschke had gone through two different versions of Sarco. “The first Sarco is being displayed at the Museum for Sepulchral Culture in Kassel, Germany, from September 2021 to August 2022,” he said. “The second turned out not to be aesthetically pleasing. For that and various other reasons it’s not the best one to use.”

On the Exit International website, Sarco is heavily featured, with a tagline, “Death is a voyage of sorts… Sarco makes it an event to remember.” It also explained that in July, they finalized the third version of Sarco, and plan to put it in use soon. “Sarco 3.0 is the version that will, ultimately, be used in Switzerland,” the website says. “In July 2023, Sarco completed its final technical instrument testing in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The level of oxygen was found to drop precipitously to less than 0 in around 60 seconds. Furthermore, this state of zero oxygen was retained for up to 15 minutes, thereby ensuring a peaceful and reliable death to the user inside.”

With Nitschke’s new non-profit venture, tax-deductible donations will be able to keep Exit’s deadly work going.

Not everyone supports Nitschke; the families of his victims have been understandably distraught, with one even confronting him directly.

“There are young people who have died, people with depression. It’s wrong, it’s totally irresponsible, he’s a doctor, it’s wrong,” she shouted at him. “Apologise for what happened to my father. The information you put out kills people who are not in a rational state of mind to make that decision.”