An Australian doctor has devised a way to allow people to quickly and painlessly die from suicide. It’s a cool idea, even if the subject matter is a tad grim.
Do we have the right to choose?
In many places, it’s still illegal to die by suicide. But there are many valid reasons a person might have to choose to end their life, and ultimately, it seems like it should be their choice.
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There have been some interesting designs.
A few years ago, the design for a theoretical Euthanasia rollercoaster made the rounds online. The idea is that the fall, combined with concentric loops, would deprive one’s brain of oxygen, killing them as they’re having fun.
This doctor has dedicated his career to this field, and risked it.
Philip Nitschke, an Australian currently based in the Netherlands, made headlines back in 2014.
It wasn’t for the happiest reasons.
The Australian government stripped him of his medical license for assisting a patient with suicide — a decision that authorities eventually reversed.
Nitschke founded Exit International.
Exit International is an organization that aims to make it easier for those who wish to die by suicide.
As their website said, “Exit is unique in the right to die movement in that the organisation takes a human rights approach to a person’s right to determine the time and manner of their death.”
Needless to say, it’s controversial.
Still, that hasn’t stopped it from attracting a wide following since it was founded more than two decades ago.
He’s published literature.
Nitschke, a true euthanasia guru, published a book , The Peaceful Pill , to be a resource for people who wish to die peacefully.
He’s rolled out a new idea.
At Exit International’s recent conference in the Netherlands, Nitschke unveiled a new invention: a futuristic-looking machine designed with the express purpose of helping people die, peacefully and painlessly.
Here it is.
Known as the Sarco, this machine can apparently be created using 3D printing. It functions, essentially, as a coffin.
Indeed, the fact that it gets its name from a sarcophagus like you would see in ancient Egypt does a lot to make that clear.
A living person climbs into it, and once it’s done its job, that person is deceased.
How does it work?
It can only be operated from the inside, which removes the potential for someone to use the Sarco as their own personal murder chamber. According to Nitschke, the process is pleasant.
It’s just like drifting away.
“After you have taken your seat inside the machine, nitrogen starts flowing,” Nitschke explained to Vice.
He described the early stages of the Sarco as feeling like you’ve gotten a little drunk.
“After a minute and a half you start to feel disoriented—a feeling comparable to that of having a few too many drinks—and a few minutes later you lose consciousness. In about five minutes, you’re gone.”
There’s a reason he’s known as “Dr. Death.”
Nitschke says the Sarco is well designed, to the point that the person on the inside can press a panic button and escape if they have second thoughts about going through with it.
What do you think?
On one hand, the right to die should be universal. On the other, promoting euthanasia might keep people away from getting the help they need to go on. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
If you or someone you know is in distress and need to talk to someone, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U.S. toll free at 1-800-273-8255, or message the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.
