Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
The controversial doctor who was the brain behind a 'suicide pod' has received backlash over his latest creation – a 'kill switch' which can be implanted in dementia patients.
Former physician Dr Philip Nitschke has earned the nicknames 'Dr Death' and 'the Elon Musk of assisted suicide'. He gained notoriety last year after unveiling the world's first euthanasia pod, a device which allows a person to end their life with the press of a button.
Nitschke originally created the Sarco - short for sarcophagus - pod back in 2017 and it has only been used once, by right to die organisation The Last Resort in Switzerland, which saw a 64-year-old US woman take her life last September.
What is the Sarco suicide pod?
The 3D-printed pod works by the patient closing themselves inside the chamber and pressing a button which releases nitrogen gas. This decreases the oxygen levels and renders the person inside unconscious in under one minute, and within 10 minutes they will have passed away.
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The device has been used once, by the unnamed US woman in Merishausen, Switzerland. Swiss authorities later detained several people in connection to the death and seized the pod.
Nitschke's pod was ultimately banned, with the individual present for the woman's death - Dr Florian Willet - later taking his own life.
What is Dr Nitschke's new invention?
Last month, Nitschke unveiled his plans to create a 'kill switch' implant, which would theoretically allow dementia patients to schedule their death years in advance.
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The device would be implanted into a patient's leg or stomach - something which could be done under local anaesthesia - and emit a beeping sound and vibration, which would prompt the patient to deactivate it.
However, failure to do so would lead to a 'lethal substance' being released from the device, killing the person.
What are the reactions to Philip Nitschke's dementia 'kill switch'?
Nitschke claims the device would allow for the 'dementia dilemma' - regarding a patient's ability to consent to their own death due to deteriorating mental function - to be solved, however the proposal has been met by fierce backlash.
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Alistair Thompson, a spokesperson for pro-life organisation Care Not Killing, called the creation another 'chilling development' and urged caution what he believed is a 'slippery slope' with euthanasia (via The Mirror).
"This is yet another chilling development from Dr Death who, brought us the personalised gas chamber," he said.
"Not content with advocating for killing vulnerable and terminally ill adults, he has turned his attention to those with neurodegenerative conditions.
He continued: "But we should not be surprised, because when a society decides that some lives are worthless then others and should be ended, this is the slippery slope you quickly go down."
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If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
Topics: World News, Health, Mental Health
Brenna Cooper