3D-Printed Suicide Capsule Inventor Unveils Plan of an Implant That Will Allow Dementia Patients End Their Life Years in Advance

Dr. Philip Nitschke, the inventor of the 3D-printed suicide pods known as Dr. Death, plans to develop an implant that will kill users with dementia if they forget to deactivate it. He has already created a portable coffin-like suicide pod called "Sarco Suicide Pods" that can be transported to people wanting to end their life.

The suicide pods work by releasing a flood of nitrogen with a press of a button and will painlessly kill the person in just a few minutes. The implant will also work the same as it should be deactivated daily to prevent a lethal dose of poison from being administered and end life. However, this idea is also controversial because it could kill a user without dementia who forgot to press the button.

Euthanasia Advocate Dr Nitschke Comments On His Controversial De-registration — Dr Philip Nitschke responds publicly after his de-registration from the Australian Medican Board on July 24, 2014 in Adelaide, Australia. Dr Nitschke, a euthanasia advocate, was de-registered by the Australian Medical Board over the death of serial wife killer Nigel Brayley on grounds that he had breached his duty and now posed a threat to public safety. David Mariuz/Getty Images

Current Methods of Assisted Suicide

According to Mail Online, assisted suicide with unselfish motives has been legal in Switzerland since 1942. In 2020 alone, they have recorded about 1,300 people using the services of euthanasia organizations. Currently, assisted suicide is done by testing a capsule that sends the person into a deep coma before they die.

There was also a lethal injection back then that Dr. Nitschke first administered in 1996. But now, his new suicide pods can be used and towed anywhere to give people assisted suicide services. He developed the Sarco Suicide pods with Alexander Bannick from the Netherlands with the goal of making them accessible all over the world.

He said they aim to give people a "euphoric" experience instead of a "dignified death." In his interview with Huffington Post, he said they would like to give people a chance to a happy death and make their last day on the planet one of their most exciting.

In 2014, Dr. Nitschke had his medical license suspended for supporting Nigel Brayley in killing himself by taking the deadly drug Nembutal. The Medical Board of Australia de-registered him due to this. But a lengthy battle in the SW Supreme Court earned him again his license in June 2015.

Dr. Death's Lethal Implants for Dementia Patients

The current assisted suicide method also comes with a problem. Dr. Nitschke told The Independent that a person with dementia and still of sound mind could legally, in some places, fill a paper that will allow administration of the drug when they reach a point of being no longer of sound mind.

Then a decade later, a doctor would indeed administer the drug even if the patient could no longer recognize what was up or down. This method makes many people feel uncomfortable. But Dr. Nitschke said that the implant could solve this problem.

According to The Sun, the implant has to be switched off every day to stop administering poison to the body; If they forget to deactivate it, the implant could release a hazardous dose of the poison and eventually kill them. He added that the implant could beep for a day or two before activating to ensure that dementia had significantly progressed and people do not just forget.

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