The Scotts signed up for Sarco, a portable capsule that causes death by hypoxia within a minute
An elderly British couple Peter and Christine Scott – married for nearly 50 years have decided to end their lives together using a double suicide pod. Eighty-year-old Christine was recently diagnosed with early-stage vascular dementia, prompting the couple to seek assisted dying in Switzerland.
According to news reports, the duo signed up for Sarco – a portable capsule that causes death by hypoxia within a minute.
Failing NHS pushed them to make the choice for euthanasia
The Scotts shared their fears of suffering years of infirmity within a failing NHS and losing their home and life savings to pay crippling care costs, their children – a son and a daughter have reluctantly agreed to "respect their choice" for euthanasia or assisted dying.
"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," the former RAF engineer told Daily Mail. "Yet look at the alternative. The chances of getting prompt NHS treatment for the ailments of old age seem pretty remote so you end up trapped by infirmity and pain. I don't want to go into care, to be lying in bed dribbling and incontinent – I don't call that a life. Finally, the Government swoops in to take your savings and your house to pay for it all," he added.
Peter and Christine, who have six grandchildren, are now registering with The Last Resort - a Swiss-based organization that offers assisted dying in the Sarco - unveiled in July. The couple hopes their decision will help push for the legalization of assisted dying in the UK.
How does Sarco work?
Created by Australian-born Philip Nitschke – nicknamed Doctor Death by right-to-life opponents – Sarco has not been used till now. The Scotts say they will wait until the new twin model of the machine is launched later this year. The machine, once activated replaces oxygen, which is filled at 21 per cent with 100 per cent nitrogen, making the occupant unconscious slowly, and causing their death in less than 10 minutes.
Nitschke had invented Sarco at the request of British stroke victim Tony Nicklinson who was left conscious but unable to move or speak following a stroke. He approached the doctor to make a death pod that could be operated on in the blink of an eye, the only communication left to him.
According to reports, Sarco – made using a 3D printer, will be free but people will have to pay for their bodies to be removed by funeral directors later. The only additional currently known cost would be £16 for the liquid nitrogen used in the pod, making it more economical than other assisted dying clinics, which typically charge £10,000.
What is euthanasia?
Euthanasia is an assisted suicide that refers to a deliberate action taken with the intention of ending one's life to relieve persistent pain. Euthanasia is only legal in a select few countries and States in the US. In most countries, euthanasia is against the law and may carry a jail sentence. In the United States, the law varies between states.
Euthanasia has long been a controversial and emotive topic.
Types of euthanasia
Euthanasia may be voluntary or involuntary, active or passive.
Passive euthanasia happens when life-sustaining treatments get withheld and a doctor prescribes increasing doses of strong pain-management medications, such as opioids, which may eventually be toxic for the individual.
In active euthanasia, you can use lethal substances or forces to end the person’s life, whether by the individual or somebody else. Active euthanasia is more controversial, and it is more likely to involve religious, moral, ethical, and compassionate arguments.
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