MSP behind Scottish assisted suicide bill urged to back 'death pods'

A former doctor and scientist known as "Dr Death" has written to the politician behind assisted suicide plans at the Scottish Parliament and urged him to utilise his "death pod" invention.

Philip Nitschke claims his pod, which is filled with nitrogen gas rendering a user unconscious in a minute and dead within ten minutes, can bring about a "peaceful, even euphoric death".

He launched the 3D printed pods in Switzerland in 2021 and the technology is now available to be used in the country's assisted suicide clinics. Eventually, it could be printed at home.

The proposal has outraged the Care Not Killing campaign, which opposes assisted suicide and euthanasia. Dr Gordon Macdonald, Chief Executive of Care Not Killing, said:

"Ordinary people will be shocked and appalled at Philip Nitschke’s attempt to lobby for the use of his personal gas chamber should Scotland legalise assisted suicide and euthanasia."

He added that the "shocking" suggestion was "not the most worrying part of the debate" and highlighted evidence that assisted suicide laws have "out of control" in other countries.

"You can now have your life ended if you are suffering from mental health conditions such as treatable clinical depression, PTSD, disability, diabetes and a combination of other ailments", Dr MacDonald added.

"At a time when we have seen how fragile our healthcare system is...I would suggest this should be the focus of Parliamentary attention, rather than discussing again this dangerous and ideological policy".