‘Dr. Death’ Linked to UK Poison Suicides Defends Publishing Lethal Instructions Online
Assisted-suicide advocate Philip Nitschke accused of promoting poison tied to deaths of over 90 people, including teenagers.
LONDON — A pro-assisted suicide activist known as “Dr. Death” is facing backlash after admitting he published online instructions for using a lethal poison later linked to more than 90 deaths in the United Kingdom, including several teenagers.
According to reporting from LifeNews, Dr Philip Nitschke, an Australian former general practitioner and inventor of the Sarco suicide pod, said he detailed the poison in an online “suicide handbook,” calling it a “cheap” and “reliable” way to achieve a “peaceful death.” He also confirmed introducing the substance to Kenneth Law, a Canadian man now facing 14 murder and 14 aiding-suicide charges after allegedly selling the poison worldwide through websites “Imtime Cuisine” and “Escape Mode.”
Nitschke has defended his actions, arguing that sharing such information promotes a “healthier society” by giving people “informed choices” about dying. “If you don’t know how to die, you sit there, look at the wall, smile and live forever. I think it’s naive,” he said.
But bereaved families have condemned him. David Parfett, whose 22-year-old son Tom died after ingesting the poison, said that Nitschke is someone who “openly encourages and facilitates people to take their own life.” He said his son had used Nitschke’s online materials to choose his method of death, saying he had “effectively handed a loaded gun to my son."
Nitschke, previously investigated in London over a “DIY suicide” workshop, is also under scrutiny in Switzerland for allegedly assisting in the first Sarco pod death.
Right to Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson called the revelations “sickening,” warning that if assisted suicide were legalized in England and Wales, Nitschke’s pods could be approved under new legislation. “We must never allow the actions of such men to be vindicated,” she said.
Previously, UOJ reported that doctors in Canada have suggested that euthanasia may be an “appropriate treatment” for newborn babies with severe disabilities.
