First British couple to use 'double suicide pod' will have to make choice before they die
The first British couple set to use the controversial 'double suicide pod' will have to make a huge decision before they voluntarily die, side by side.
Peter Scott and his wife Christine's final moments will be recorded on camera as they go through the process together, becoming the first UK residents to use Exit International's infamous, high-tech dying system called the Sarco pod.
Originally 3D-printed, the device has been called the 'Tesla of euthanasia', and works by using a canister of liquid nitrogen, which makes the user pass away through gas asphyxiation.
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The use of nitrogen lowers oxygen levels at a sharp rate, causing individuals to feel drowsy before falling unconscious within a minute, killing them within 10 minutes.
Peter, 86, and Christine, 80, are choosing to leave the world together following 46 years of marriage after she was diagnosed with vascular dementia.
The condition is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain and worsens over time.
Retired RAF pilot Peter explained that he couldn't watch the love of his life slowly die and 'would not want to go on living without' Christine.
It's the reasoning behind the couple signing up to use the pod, as he told the Daily Mail: "We have had long, happy, healthy, fulfilled lives but here we are in old age and it does not do nice things to you.
"We understand other people may not share our feelings and we respect their position. What we want is the right to choose."
He also revealed that it is 'deeply depressing' that they can't do it in the UK.
They have enlisted the help of Swiss organisation The Last Resort, but are waiting for the launch of Dr Philip Nitschke's double pod, which is expected 'as early as January', according to reports.
The difference between the single pod and double pod isn't much, as Australian creator Dr Nitschke revealed, with there being a choice to be made by the couple before stepping in.
"The capsule for two people works exactly the same as the single Sarco but there is only one button so they will decide between them who will push it," he explained.
The process will also be caught on camera, so that the footage can be given to a coroner as evidence of the couple's deaths.
When getting into the pod, both Brits will be asked three questions before proceeding: "Who are you?', 'Where are you?' and 'Do you know what happens when you press the button?"
Dr Nitschke highlighted this is intended to prove that patients are of sound mind when they make the decision to go through with it.
The Australian medic, 76, told the Daily Mail that the double pod was ready for launch.
"The capsule for two people works exactly the same as the single Sarco but there is only one button so they will decide between them who will push it," Dr Nitschke said.
"Then they’ll be able to hold each other and one of them will push the button."
Topics: Health, UK News, World News, Technology
Joshua Nair