Post by Bozur on Dec 18, 2008 22:25:59 GMT -5
Euthanasia Doctor to Launch 'Undetectable' Death Machine
news.com.au — Controversial euthanasia advocate Dr Philip Nitschke will today launch a new death device which is undetectable during autopsy. As well as promoting the method as "flawless", the Darwin medic, 61, says it has the unique characteristic of being undetectable which will make it harder to prove suicide. More… (Health)
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Doctor Philip Nitschke to launch 'undetectable' death machine
By Kim Wheatley
December 18, 2008 02:23am
Philip Nitschke
Autopsy-proof ... controversial euthanasia advocate Dr Philip Nitschke will today launch a new "undetectable" death machine
* Euthanasia advocate to launch death device
* Machine is undetectable during autopsy
* Can be made from household products
CONTROVERSIAL euthanasia advocate Dr Philip Nitschke will today launch a new death device which is undetectable during autopsy.
As well as promoting the method as "flawless", the Darwin medic, 61, says it has the unique characteristic of being undetectable which will make it harder to prove suicide.
The new process makes use of ordinary household products including a barbecue gas bottle - purchased at a hardware store yesterday morning - which is then filled with another gas which is readily available.
Dr Nitschke has developed a process in which "patients" lose consciousness immediately and die a few minutes later, The Advertiser reports.
"So it's extremely quick and there are no drugs," Dr Nitschke said yesterday.
"Importantly this doesn't fail - it's reliable, peaceful, available and with the additional benefit of undetectability."
In the past, the process was more difficult and included hard to obtain helium gas.
Dr Nitschke maintains the procedure is legal, because none of the pieces of equipment are restricted from sale.
"It's hard to see how the Government could possibly restrict access to common cylinders, and certainly there's no way they could restrict access to (the gas)," he said.
"But really it's the knowledge of how to do it that's so important, it's a technique-dependent method and people have to know what they're doing."
Always divisive, Dr Nitschke was last week accused of "relentless self-interest and cruel insensitivity" by the family of a Perth woman who committed suicide using the death drug promoted by him.
But he maintains he is providing a public service - by empowering the sick and elderly with knowledge.
Dr Nitschke has attracted his largest following so far this year - with 4000 people attending his workshops in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
"And I think that just expresses the fact that this is an issue which is of great interest to people, they've watched the failure of legislation ... but there's a feeling that the political process doesn't deal well with this issue," Dr Nitschke said.
"It's consistent with good medical practice to allow people to know exactly what their options are."
But Dr Nitschke's biggest concern at the moment is the Federal Government's push toward's content filtering on the net, designed to block forms of pornography and "illegal material".
With one of his books banned, Dr Nitschke believes the laws, which were first proposed by the Howard Government, will result in his website being blacklisted.
Ironically, it comes as a number of pensioners have decided to spend some of their $1400 Federal Government bonus to join his voluntary euthanasia group, Exit International.
www.news.com.au/