A British couple has decided to end their lives together using a double ‘suicide pod,’ allowing them to embrace during their final moments. The heartbreaking choice came after 80-year-old Christine, a retired nurse, was diagnosed with early-stage vascular dementia. Her husband, Peter Scott, 86, a retired RAF engineer, shared that he couldn’t imagine life without her. The couple, married for 46 years, will travel to Switzerland, where assisted suicide has been legal since 1942, according to a report by News.com.au.
They have registered with The Last Resort, a Swiss organization offering assisted death through the Sarco pod. This coffin-like device allows the patient to press a button and pass away within seconds as nitrogen fills the chamber, causing oxygen deprivation. The Sarco pod, designed to provide a peaceful death, was first introduced at the Venice Design Festival in 2019.
Mr. Scott explained, “We have had long, happy, healthy, fulfilled lives, but here we are old, and it does not do nice things to you. The idea of watching the slow degradation of Chris’s mental abilities alongside my physical decline is horrific to me.”
In the UK, assisted dying remains illegal, carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment for those found aiding another in taking their own life. Despite this, the couple stands by their decision.
“I would care for her as long as I could, but Chris has nursed many dementia patients and insists on maintaining control of herself and her life. Assisted dying provides that option, and I wouldn’t want to go on without her. We respect differing views, but what we want is the right to choose. I find it deeply depressing that we can’t do that in the UK,” Mr. Scott said.
Before using the pod, they plan to spend their final moments walking in the Swiss Alps and enjoying fish and wine for their last meal. Swiss law mandates that those seeking assisted death must be of sound mind and act free from selfish motivations, prioritizing personal choice and control over the process.