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Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Is the controversial suicide capsule coming to Britain? Australian right-to-die campaigner known as 'Dr Death' aims to bring euthanasia pod to the UK
A controversial suicide capsule could be coming to the UK after the assisted dying Bill passed its final Commons vote yesterday. Dr Philip Nitschke, the Australian right-to-die campaigner known as 'Dr Death' who is behind the Sarco euthanasia pod, said he will be 'enthusiastically' seeking to bring the technology to Britain for the first time. The coffin-like device offers patients a way to end their lives painlessly by flooding a sealed chamber with nitrogen gas that leads to loss of consciousness and death within ten minutes. A camera records their final moments and the video is sent to a coroner. Dr Nitschke said he intends to start 'enthusiastically pursuing the option of using the device in the UK' as soon as the assisted dying Bill becomes law. The campaigner said he has already had inquiries from 15 Britons seeking to use the Sarco pod and expects this number to increase with the passing of the Bill. 'We'll be looking to find UK-registered doctors to assist and of course someone who wants to use it and satisfies all of the requirements under the law,' he told The Times. 'The doctors involved would know that this would attract attention and possible close scrutiny, which by and large most doctors aren't enthusiastic about, so we'd have to find someone a little crusading.' If it becomes law, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will let terminally ill adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live apply for an assisted death. The person wishing to die would take an approved substance, provided by a doctor but administered only by the person themselves. So far the Bill does not detail what the medication should be. Last year police made arrests after the Sarco pod was used for the first time by a 64-year-old American woman in Switzerland. Swiss authorities confiscated the capsule and took one of the pod company's founders, Florian Willet, who was present at the death, into custody on suspicion of aiding and abetting suicide. He was detained for ten weeks after police claimed there were strangulation marks on the neck of woman who had died. It comes after MPs on both sides of the assisted dying debate made impassioned interventions ahead of the Commons vote yesterday. Former home secretary Sir James Cleverly opened the debate for opponents of the Bill, speaking movingly of losing his closest friend to cancer this year as he warned that he could have 'lost' these precious final moments had assisted dying been available. Meanwhile Mother of the House Diane Abbott described it as the 'most fateful Bill that we discuss this Parliament'. The Labour MP warned that, under the Bill in its current form, 'there will be people among the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society who lose their lives unnecessarily'. 'It is literally a matter of life and death,' she added. 'I have heard talk today of the injustices of the current situation. What could be more unjust than someone losing their life because of poorly drafted legislation?' Former security minister Tom Tugendhat warned that legalising assisted dying would represent 'a huge shift in the relationship between the individual and the State'. The Tory MP said: 'It's about the power over life and death. Not just over ourselves, because we already have the power to end our own lives, it's called suicide. It is not a crime – it hasn't been a crime in this country for decades. 'This is a different power. This is about the power of the State through its agents to exercise power over life and death. 'Yes, agreed; yes, approved of in advance; but when the State takes a life, even with consent, that is a huge shift in the relationship between the individual and the State.' But one of the Bill's leading backers, Tory MP Kit Malthouse, wanted to give a voice to dying people 'not because they want to be rescued, but because time and time again, they're begging us for mercy'. The former Cabinet minister added: 'We honour life by giving it meaning and power. And the one thing that dying people ask for in their agonising final moments is control over the disease that is destroying them.' Campaigners from both sides had spent the day in rival but respectful demonstrations outside the Houses of Parliament. A cheer erupted as the result was announced on a livestream. Many cried and hugged each other, while others popped champagne. Rebecca Wilcox, Dame Esther Rantzen's daughter, called her mother, who is terminally ill, in front of supporters and told her she wished she was there. Ms Wilcox said that she even gave Bill proponent Kim Leadbeater's mother a 'big hug' following the result announcement and added: 'I don't know whether to have a drink or a really big cry. It was quite extraordinary.' Meanwhile Labour MP Dr Peter Prinsley said: 'As a young doctor, I found the measures that we're debating today completely unconscionable, but now I'm an old doctor, I feel sure this is an essential change.' He added: 'There is an absolute sanctity of human life, but we are not dealing with life or death, rather death or death. For there is also a sanctity of human dignity and fundamental to that is surely choice. Who are we to deny that?'
Daily Telegraph
06-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Telegraph
Suicide pod doctor dies after ‘strangling' claim
Don't miss out on the headlines from Innovation. Followed categories will be added to My News. A prominent euthanasia advocate has died months after he was detained by Swiss authorities on suspicion of strangling the first person to use a controversial 3D-printed 'suicide capsule' after the device allegedly failed to work. Dr Florian Willet, 47, died in Germany on May 5, according to an obituary by Australian right-to-die activist Dr Philip Nitschke posted on the website of The Last Resort, the assisted dying group founded by Dr Willet. 'He is dearly missed,' Dr Nitschke wrote. Dr Nitschke, the founder of pro-euthanasia group Exit International, is the inventor of the 'Sarco' capsule, which was used by a chronically ill US woman in a Swiss forest on September 23 last year. Dr Willet was the only person present for the death and called police who later took him into custody. The 'Sarco' cost $1.5 million to develop, according to Dr Nitschke, and allows a person sitting reclined in a seat to push a button that floods the chamber with nitrogen gas. Within minutes, the user is supposed to slip into unconsciousness before they die of suffocation. On October 26, Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reported the Swiss prosecutor had indicated in court that the 64-year-old woman might have actually been strangled. Dr Nitschke said 'this allegation has no foundation'. He said Dr Willet was held in pre-trial detention for 70 days until December 2. Dr Florian Willet has died in Germany. Picture: Supplied 'When Florian was released suddenly and unexpectedly from pre-trial detention in early December 2024, he was a changed man,' he wrote. 'Gone was his warm smile and self-confidence. In its place was a man who was deeply traumatised by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation. In the early days of 2025, Florian 'fell' from the third floor of his Zurich apartment building. He would spend the following three months undergoing surgery and in rehab in Switzerland. During this time he was cared for by a full psychiatric team.' Dr Willet's psychiatric discharge report in January stated that he was suffering from 'an acute polymorphic psychotic disorder (F23.0) which is currently subsiding under antipsychotic therapy, and which has developed following the stress of the pre-trial detention and the associated processes', according to Dr Nitschke. 'Florian's spirit was broken,' he wrote. Euthanasia campaigner Dr Philip Nitschke and his Sarco pod. Picture: Supplied 'He knew that he did nothing illegal or wrong, but his belief in the rule of law in Switzerland was in tatters. In the final months of his life, Dr Florian Willet shouldered more than any man should. He was bravely present when the Sarco was used. Everyone needs a Florian by their side in their final moments. Florian has now paid the ultimate price — his life — for his compassion. Florian will live forever in our hearts.' Dr Nitschke first broke his silence on the controversy in a November interview with the Associated Press, telling the wire service he was 'desperate' about the plight of Dr Willet. 'It is absurd because we've got film that the capsule wasn't opened,' he said. 'She got in herself, pressed the button herself.' Other people were also arrested after the woman's death, including a journalist with a Dutch newspaper, but were later released. Dr Nitschke said the woman, from the US midwest, had 'compromised immune function' that made her 'subject to chronic infection'. In a separate interview, Dr Nitschke said Dr Willet had told him the death had been 'peaceful, fast, and dignified'. Dr Nitschke said he had been told the pod's use would be legal in Switzerland, one of the few countries foreigners can come to legally end their life. — with NCA NewsWire Originally published as Suicide pod doctor dies after 'strangling' claim
New York Times
05-06-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Euthanasia Advocate Who Assisted in Woman's Suicide Dies in Germany
Florian Willet, a euthanasia advocate who was detained by Swiss authorities last year after being present when an American woman ended her life using a chamber-like device, has died. Mr. Willet's death was reported in an obituary posted on the website of The Last Resort, his assisted dying group, written by Philip Nitschke, the inventor of the device, known as a Sarco capsule. Mr. Nitschke said in an email that Mr. Willet had died by assisted suicide, but further details about his death remained unclear. The police in Germany, where Mr. Willet died, could not immediately be reached for comment. Mr. Willet, who was 47, according to the obituary, was the only person with the American woman when she died using the Sarco device in a remote forest in Switzerland in September. He was arrested, along with three others, by the Swiss authorities, who said at the time that the group was under investigation for 'aiding and abetting suicide.' The incident amplified thorny questions surrounding assisted dying even in Switzerland, where laws around the practice have led thousands of people to seek assisted death from right-to-die organizations based there in recent years. Mr. Willet was released from pretrial detention in December, after which 'he was a changed man,' Mr. Nitschke wrote. 'Gone was his warm smile and self-confidence. In its place was a man who was deeply traumatized by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Sun
03-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Suicide pod activist Dr Florian Willet takes own life after arrest over ‘murder' of woman who used euthanasia device
A SUICIDE pod activist has taken his own life after being interrogated over the murder of a woman who died in one of the euthanasia devices. Florian Willet, 47, suffered a mental health crisis after he was arrested by Swiss Police last year, according to Philip Nitschke, the inventor of the Sarco suicide capsule. 2 2 Willet, from Germany, was the director of Last Resort, the Swiss suicide organisation which operated the Sarco pods. He was also a prominent right-to-die activist. The director was investigated for aiding and abetting suicide. As part of the probe, prosecutors investigated whether he strangled the woman, but that was ruled out. Willet was released in December after being held in pre-trial detention for 70 days. Nitschke, who also directs pro-assisted dying group Exit International, said: 'Gone was his warm smile and self-confidence. In its place was a man who seemed deeply traumatised by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation." He revealed that his colleague Willet sought help and went into hospital twice before his death on May 5. Willet reportedly died in Germany with the help of a specialist organisation, though it is not known exactly how he died. Nitschke continued: 'To describe Florian is to talk of a man who was thoughtful, caring, funny, and friendly. He was an easy person to be around. 'But most of all, Florian was kind. Florian was also passionate about a person's right to choose when to die.' . YOU'RE NOT ALONE EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide. It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society - from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers. It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes. And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women. Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now. That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign. The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives. Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others... You're Not Alone. If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
Telegraph
02-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Suicide pod activist takes his own life aged 47 after ‘trauma' of arrest
A right-to-die activist questioned for murder after the death of a woman using a suicide pod has died by assisted suicide. Florian Willet suffered a mental health crisis after he was arrested by Swiss police in September last year, said Philip Nitschke, the inventor of the Sarco suicide capsule. Mr Willet was the director of Swiss suicide organisation Last Resort, which was set up to facilitate the use of the Sarco. The 47-year-old German was investigated for aiding and abetting suicide. Prosecutors also investigated whether he had strangled the woman, but that was ruled out before he was released in December after 70 days of pre-trial detention. 'Gone was his warm smile and self-confidence. In its place was a man who seemed deeply traumatised by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation,' said Mr Nitschke, director of pro euthanasia group Exit International. The Australian former physician, who is called 'Doctor Death' by his critics, said Mr Willet sought help and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital twice before his death on May 5. Mr Nitschke told the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant that Mr Willet had died in Germany with the help of an unnamed specialised organisation. It is not known how he died. 'To describe Florian is to talk of a man who was thoughtful, caring, funny, and friendly. He was an easy person to be around,' said Mr Nitschke, who lives in the Netherlands. 'But most of all, Florian was kind. Florian was also passionate about a person's right to choose when to die.' Suicide is legal under certain conditions in Switzerland, but the pod had never been used before and there were warnings it would be illegal. Mr Willet was the only person present when a 64-year-old American woman, who has not been named, pressed a button to fill the Sarco pod with nitrogen gas. The woman had suffered from an immune disease. He informed the authorities after her death in a forest in the canton of Schaffhausen but was arrested, along with several others, including a newspaper photographer. They were later released but Mr Willet, a former media spokesman for euthanasia clinic Dignitas, continued to be detained. He had described the first death in the controversial Sarco pod as 'peaceful, fast and dignified'. The 3D-printable capsule cost about £550,000 to research and develop in the Netherlands over 12 years. Last Resort has said that future reusable pods could cost about £12,600. 'By the age of five I took my own dying by suicide into consideration,' Mr Willet said in an interview before his arrest. He revealed his father had died by suicide when he was 14 and claimed he was 'completely fine with it.' He added: 'I was extremely sad because I loved my father. But, I understood immediately my father wanted to do this because he was a rational person, which means that expecting him to remain alive just because I need a father would mean extending his suffering.'
