Doc behind controversial 'suicide pods' has offices raided days after woman's death

Dr Philip Nitschke has travel nether scrutiny from constabulary aft a 64-year-old diligent from the US passed distant successful a termination pod. The doctor, who has offices successful Switzerland, is nether investigation

A creator who was dubbed "Dr death" for his arguable termination capsules has been astatine the centre of a constabulary raid.

Dr Philip Nitschke told his followers that his offices had been scorned by cops successful the Netherlands, conscionable days aft an American pistillate ended her beingness successful the pod. According to reports, officers conducted a hunt astir the premises of a euthanasia organisation called Exit International successful Haarlem.

As portion of a associated cognition with authorities successful Switzerland, constabulary took distant computers and a prototype of Sarco ( the termination pods ) connected Monday. It was reported that a implicit mentation of the pod was utilized successful the decease of a 64-year-old mum of 2 from the US.

Local media reported that Dr Florian Willet, the co-president of Swiss Sarco relation The Last Resort, was arrested during the raid, alongside others. The radical were taken into questioning connected suspicion of aiding and abetting suicide. It is unclear whether immoderate crimes person been committed astatine this stage.

Nitschke was not contiguous astatine the decease but did observe the incidental by watching it via a video link. It remains unclear if helium could beryllium extradited to look charges. The termination pods ( called Sarco ), are activated erstwhile a idiosyncratic wrong presses a button. The power injects nitrogen state into the sealed capsule. After the fastener is pressed, the patient is meant to autumn dormant and walk distant by suffocation wrong a fewer minutes. Nitschke believed the decease of the 64-year-old went "well" and said it "looked precisely arsenic we had expected."

He told the Volksrant newspaper: "I estimated that she mislaid consciousness wrong 2 minutes and died aft 5 minutes,' helium told the Volksrant newspaper. We saw immoderate twitchy movements of the muscles but she was apt already unconscious." Currently, assisted dying is allowed successful Switzerland arsenic agelong arsenic determination is nary 'external assistance' and those who assistance enactment the decease bash not person "any self-serving motive".

Nitschke said the 64-year-old pistillate was battling a "very superior unwellness that involves terrible pain". He explained that she had wished to dice for "at slightest 2 years". The doc said she pressed the fastener arsenic soon arsenic she entered the pod. Following the constabulary raid, Nitschke said connected Twitter: "Police raid Haarlem bureau of termination pod inventor aft Switzerland incident… nary further remark needed."

Suicide pods person besides been met with outrage from pro-life organisations, including CARE. In 2022 erstwhile it was reported the hi-tech attack to assisted suicide could get successful Scotland, Dr Gordon Macdonald, Chief Executive of Care Not Killing said: "Ordinary radical volition beryllium shocked and appalled astatine Philip Nitschke’s effort to lobby for the usage of his idiosyncratic state enclosure should Scotland legalise assisted termination and euthanasia."

For affectional support, you tin telephone the Samaritans 24-hour helpline connected 116 123, email [email protected], sojourn a Samaritans subdivision successful idiosyncratic oregon spell to the Samaritans website.