The launch of a controversial ‘suicide pod’ was called off at the last minute, as the first person scheduled to die in the machine, referred to as Person X, faced severe mental health issues. Dr. Philip Nitschke, often dubbed ‘Dr Death,’ announced that plans for the woman from the US, in her 50s, to use the Sarco pod on 17 July have been permanently postponed.
The high-tech assisted dying system, described as the ‘Tesla of euthanasia,’ faced significant legal warnings from prosecutors in Switzerland’s Schaffhausen Canton. They cautioned the 76-year-old Australian medic about the severe legal repercussions of proceeding with euthanasia. Despite this, it was not the fear of prosecution that led Exit International, the pro-euthanasia group behind the Sarco pod, to halt their plans. Nitschke believes the intense media attention influenced the decision.
Dr. Nitschke explained that Person X was suffering from deteriorating mental health, prompting the team to abort the assisted suicide. He emphasized that she should receive mental health care instead. “Given her situation, it is clear that this is a person who should now be receiving mental health care, rather than any suicide assistance,” he said.
The euthanasia advocate stated that future candidates would undergo thorough assessment and pre-screening, considering the media scrutiny surrounding the first use of the Sarco pod. Concerns had been raised about Person X after she experienced multiple cognitive lapses bordering on pre-psychosis as the scheduled date approached.
Despite the postponement, a euthanasia group named ‘The Last Resort’ announced that the Sarco pod would be used within the next year. Exit International claims the 3D-printed capsule provides a painless death within minutes by flooding the chamber with nitrogen, reducing oxygen levels rapidly. Nitschke designed the Sarco pod to create a peaceful, reliable, drug-free method of assisted dying, giving patients full control of their final moments. The pods can be activated via voice control and eye movement for those with severe illnesses and mobility issues, like locked-in syndrome.
Nitschke previously highlighted that the capsule underwent thorough testing and expressed that he would likely use the Sarco in his final days, preferring it over a miserable state while seriously ill.
