‘If You Want To Die, Press The Button’: What Is A Suicide Pod? Why A British Couple Plan To Use It
The Sarco pod, known as the ‘Tesla of Euthanasia’, allows a person to die peacefully in about 10 minutes. It was invented by Australian-born doctor and displayed at Venice Design Festival in 2019
A British couple, married for nearly half a century, have planned their death in a suicide pod. The pair, Peter Scott (86) and Christine Scott (80), have decided to end their lives in a Sarco suicide pod in Switzerland after Christine was diagnosed with dementia.
Peter, a retired RAF engineer, expressed that he couldn’t bear the idea of living without his wife, Australian news website News.au reported.
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“We have had long, happy, healthy, fulfilled lives but here we are in old age and it does not do nice things to you," Peter, the former Royal Air Force pilot told the Daily Mail. “Obviously I would care for her to the point I could not, but she has nursed enough people with dementia during her career to be adamant she wants to remain in control of herself and her life".
The Scotts have been transparent about their plans, discussing their decision with their son and daughter, who, despite their reluctance, have come to accept their parents’ choice.
“I’d like to go walking with Peter in the Swiss Alps, by a river. I’d have a beautiful plate of fish for my last supper and enjoy a great bottle of Merlot," she told Evening Standard.
What is a Suicide Pod?
Scotts will travel to Switzerland where voluntary assisted suicide has been legal since 1942.
The couple are now in the process of registering with The Last Resort, a Swiss-based organisation that offers assisted dying in the Sarco pod — a device unveiled in July and designed to provide a peaceful and painless death.
The Sarco pod, known as the ‘Tesla of Euthanasia’, allows a person to die peacefully in about 10 minutes. It aims to remove discomfort from the dying process.
The pod was invented by Philip Nitschke, an Australian-born doctor often called ‘Dr. Death’ for his work in assisted suicide. The suicide pod was displayed at the Venice Design Festival in 2019. Fiona Stewart, a member of the advisory board and COO of the nonprofit also presented Sarco in Zurich on July 17, 2024.
She said in a press conference that the first use of Sarco will “take place pretty soon". However, no decisions have been made about the time, date, and place of the first use of the suicide pod. It is also not known who will be the first user of the ‘Tesla of euthanasia’.
“We understand other people may not share our feelings and we respect their position. What we want is the right to choose. I find it deeply depressing we can’t do that here in the UK," Peter said.
UK does not allow euthanasia in any form, and imposes a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment for those assisting a suicide.
How Does It Work?
The 3D-printed coffin-like capsule operates by filling its chamber with nitrogen while rapidly reducing oxygen levels once a button is activated from inside. This whole process causes the person to lose consciousness and die within 10 minutes.
Nitschke explained to AFP that users inside the capsule will hear a voice prompting, “If you want to die, press this button".
The pods can also be activated in multiple ways, including gestures, voice control, or even eye movement for those unable to speak or physically move due to illness. The entire process is filmed for documentation and will be given to a coroner. But once activated, the process is irreversible.
According to the Swiss newspaper Blick, Public Prosecutor Peter Stiche has said that there could be “serious consequences" for the operators of the machine. He argued that there is no reliable information about the method of killing and it is not clear who has control over which mechanical process during the dying process, as per The Feed.
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