Government urged to block controversial euthanasia Sarco pod creator from UK after he unveils new 'collar' device

Warning: This article contains discussion of assisted dying which some readers may find distressing.

Campaigners are calling on the Home Secretary to stop Dr Philip Nitschke from coming to the UK as he reportedly plans to demonstrate his new device.

The Australian humanist is the head of right-to-die campaign group Exit International and well-known for inventing the Sarco pod. The euthanasia machine has long-divided people but now he’s set to show his newer experimental concept, the Kairos collar.

The inventor’s design sees it apply pressure to the carotid arteries and baroreceptors in the neck, essentially restricting blood flow to the brain.

But as the assisted dying Bill is set to return to the Commons on 11 September, some MPs and campaigners are urging Shabana Mahmood to block Dr Nitschke from visiting the UK. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill ran out of time in Parliament’s last session but is returning to begin the legislative process again.

Dr Nitschke and his invention. (Exit International)

Senior Tory MP dubbed Dr Nitschke’s collar as his ‘latest sinister suicide device’ and said his proposed visit to speak about the collar at an event is ‘deeply disturbing’.

“I am calling on the Home Secretary to urgently review the wisdom of allowing Mr Nitschke into the country for this reason,” he told the Daily Mail.

And chief executive of Right to Life UK Alisdair Hungerford-Morgan added: “Just days before MPs vote on the assisted suicide Bill [this is not the official name], Philip Nitschke plans to come to the UK to demonstrate his new ‘suicide collar’.

“We are calling on the Home Secretary to urgently intervene to prevent Mr Nitschke from entering the UK to demonstrate and promote this dangerous device.”

Having fallen automatically when it ran out of time at the end of the last parliamentary session, the assisted dying Bill had proposed allowing adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live to apply for an assisted death. This would then be subject to the approval of two doctors and an expert panel.

The proposed bill has divided many Brits. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Dr Nitschke’s pod and collar devices

The voluntary euthanasia advocate previously demonstrated the Kairos Kollar during a workshop.

According to him, the collar’s design causes rapid loss of consciousness followed by death, without the need for drugs.

Taking to X, he wrote: "The Exit Kairos Kollar, an important development in the assisted dying quest…fast, reliable, drug-free… and, importantly, unrestrictable."

"You can build your own collar, and suicide is not a crime," he claimed to the guests, according to the Herald Sun.

"It will work like an airbag in the car, when you press a button, bang, faint and die.

"It works in a clever way by putting pressure in two important points on your neck that does two things, the pressure stops the flow of blood to two important arteries.

"The collar is put around your neck and when you press the button it suddenly puts pressure on the carotid and the vertebral artery and stops the flow of blood going up to your brain."

The Sarco pod was invented back in 2012 and works by replacing the oxygen inside it with nitrogen, causing hypoxia (suffocation).

Inside is a self-operated button so that a person can end their life alone.

Dr Nitschke said per The Times: “As soon as we know that the final legislation is in place, we’ll start enthusiastically pursuing the option of using the device in the UK.

“We’ll be looking to find UK-registered doctors to assist, and of course, someone who wants to use it and satisfies all of the requirements under the law.

"The doctors involved would know that this would attract attention and possible close scrutiny, which by and large most doctors aren’t enthusiastic about, so we’d have to find someone who’s a little crusading.”

Both euthanasia and assisted suicide are currently illegal under English law.

The LADbible Group has contacted the Home Secretary for comment.

If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.