Image: Twitter/@philipnitschke
An Australian expert in the field of euthanasia, who lives in the Netherlands, has developed a special machine designed for a painless suicide.
Nicknamed “Dr. Death,” 70-year-old Dr. Philip Nitschke developed the Sarco suicide machine together with engineer Alexander Bannick, reports Daily Mail.
Dr. Nitschke says the Sarco offers a “peaceful and I would even say an elegant death.”
Once fully tested, plans for the Sarco will be placed online through Dr. Nitschke’s non-profit organization Exit International. Through these plans, people around the world would be able to 3D-print and assemble their own suicide machine.
However, potential users would first be asked to complete an online mental questionnaire. This will assess their mental competency before being provided with a four-digit access code to activate the Sarco capsule.
Inside, the procedure could be started through a button press or voice commands for paralyzed individuals.
The process begins when liquid nitrogen starts to fill the Sarco capsule. Death comes in minutes as oxygen within the capsule drops and users quietly fall unconscious.
While assisted suicide has been made legal in some parts of the world including certain states in the US, the Netherland, Germany and Japan, pro-life groups and individuals fear that the Sarco could lead to an increase in the number of suicides.
One nurse said that Dr. Nitschke’s Sarco was “glamorizing and normalizing suicide.”
Dr. Nitschke insists suicide is a human right and believes “any rational adult should have the right to die.” Alfred Bayle /ra