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Writer's picturePhilip James

"I’ll Bring Death Pods to Britain if Assisted Dying Law Passes" Says Inventor

'Doctor Death', Philip Nitschke is ready to launch his dystopian invention in Britain, despite the first user reportedly dying from strangulation.


The Doctor behind the Sarco 'death pod' has vowed to bring his invention to Britain the second the 'assisted dying' bill is past.


Dr. Nitschke’s Sarco pod is designed as a 3D-printed, portable machine. With the press of a button, it floods with nitrogen gas, offering what he describes as an "elegant" and "stylish" way to end one’s life, although the first outing probably ended with the Doctor's heads around the patients neck as she reportedly wouldn't die when the gas was introduced.


The Private Member’s Bill is due for its second reading in the House of Commons at the end of next week. Claimed to be 'the Tesla of euthanasia”, the spaceship-like portable devices are fitted with a transparent pane to afford the user a meaningful vista for their final moments, all according to its makers.


Dubbed the 'Doctor of Death' Dr Nitschke said the machine 'could prove popular with people undergoing assisted dying who do not want to die by lethal injection or medicine cocktails designed to end their life.'


He told the Telegraph he is “absolutely” keen to bring the Sarco pod to the UK. He said: “We have a lot of members there, and a lot of UK people following the Sarco project very closely. There would be a lot of scope. I would be very keen to do that. “It seems to me that it will just provide an additional option for those who don’t want the needle and who don’t want the drink… who do like what I describe as the stylish and elegant means that is provided by this device in some idyllic location.”


Dr Nitschke suggested that the Lake District might offer the ideal picturesque location to use the assisted dying machine, saying: “For people who have got that choice of picking the day and the time… it is the most important day of your life, presumably, the day you die.” He added: “If you want to be overlooking the lakes or the mountains or looking [at] whatever, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be accommodated. Certainly, Sarco can do that.”

On Sept 23 an unnamed 64-year-old American woman with a rare bone infection died in the capsule. Several people, including Nitschke, were arrested in September on charges of assisting her to use the Dutch-made device.
After his arrest Police took the woman’s body, and the pathologist reportedly noted “strange marks” on her neck with some in the Dutch press suggesting that the pod had failed and that the doctor had, in fact, strangled her. Something that he has strenuously denied.

Swiss police seized two existing Sarco pods following the arrests but Doctor Death is undeterred saying he saw “no reason” why a third, now under construction in Rotterdam, could not be brought to Britain if the law changes. saying “We are printing a new Sarco now to make up for the one that the Swiss have confiscated. I can see no reason why it couldn’t be used in the UK when the law comes in.”


Assisted dying is not a novel concept. Countries like Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Canada already allow it in some form. In Switzerland, where the Sarco pod was first used, helping someone end their life is legal provided there’s no selfish motive.


Globally, opinions on assisted dying are sharply divided. A 2017 British Social Attitudes Survey revealed that 78% of UK citizens support a change in the law to permit assisted dying under strict safeguards. Yet statistics from countries where euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal paint a more complex picture.


  • In Belgium, the number of euthanasia cases has risen annually, from 1,000 in 2010 to over 2,500 by 2022.

  • In Canada, cases of assisted dying now account for nearly 3% of all deaths nationwide.

  • Data from Switzerland shows an increasing trend toward foreigners traveling to use its liberal assisted suicide laws.


Proponents argue that these statistics reflect better access to humane end-of-life care. Critics counter that they indicate a troubling normalisation of state-sanctioned death. Once the door opens, where does it stop?


A Tool for Compassion or a Weapon of Control?

The Sarco pod represents more than just a medical device. It signals a cultural shift in how we value life. While advocates champion the pod as a symbol of personal freedom, others see it as a chilling step toward a eugenics-driven agenda.


Consider this: the same arguments made for assisted dying—reducing suffering, granting autonomy—can easily be twisted into justifications for population control. Could the normalisation of such devices lead to vulnerable populations being pressured to end their lives for the “greater good”?


History offers a grim reminder. Eugenics programs once masqueraded as public health initiatives. They targeted those deemed "unfit" to live—often the disabled, the elderly, and the poor. How long before assisted dying morphs into a cost-saving measure for overstretched healthcare systems?


Dr. Nitschke’s idyllic vision of death amid the beauty of nature hides a disturbing reality. The Sarco pod might begin as a choice for the terminally ill, but its very existence invites misuse. If assisted dying becomes widespread, could societal pressures make it less of a choice and more of an expectation for the vulnerable?


As Britain debates this issue, we must ask hard questions. Do we want a future where life is cheapened by the ease of death on demand? Or will we stand firm against the creeping normalisation of tools that could pave the way for a eugenics-fuelled dystopia?


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