Dr Philip Nitschke, dubbed “the Elon Musk of assisted suicide”, has said his suicide pod is ready and may be used for the first time this year.
“We’re ready to use it… we’re talking to a number of people who are wanting to be the first to use it”, Dr Nitschke said.
The Sarco Pod is designed to kill its occupants by starving them of oxygen. Switzerland is currently the only country where it may be used, though Dr Nitschke is advocating for its use elsewhere.
Dr Nitschke recently wrote to Liam McArthur, an MSP seeking to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland, urging him to introduce the Sarco Pod, claiming that “they lead to a peaceful, even euphoric death”.
The former physician, who burned his medical registration certificate in 2015, had previously said that his suicide coffin “may never be an acceptable method for assisted suicide in Europe due to the negative connotations of the Holocaust”.
But Dr Nitschke is fervent in his advocacy, stating: “We understand life is a precious gift – but what sort of gift is it if you can’t give it away?”
Another concept that he is working on is a suicide implant for people with dementia.
SPUC comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “Cherished gifts, especially life, are cherished and not thrown away. It is disturbing to see more and more doctors seeking to usher vulnerable patients into early graves rather than improve their lives through appropriate provision and care.
“Yet, a lonely, suffocating death in a cold plastic coffin might be what awaits many unfortunate people if Dr Death’s terrible vision is ultimately realised. It might not be far off unless we speak out now on behalf of the vulnerable as well as ourselves.”
