A former RAF engineer and his wife are signing up to become the first British couple to use a double suicide capsule.
Peter and Christine Scott, who have been married for 46 years, made the decision after former nurse Christine, 80, was diagnosed with early-stage vascular dementia a few weeks ago.
The couple plans to travel to Switzerland to die in each other’s arms in the death capsule, the Sarco, to mark the end of their long and happy marriage.
After an emotional family meeting, at which the couple expressed their fears that they would be left ill for years in a failing NHS and that they would lose their home and savings to pay for the high cost of care, their son and daughter have reluctantly said they will respect their choice.
Peter, 86, and Christine, who have six grandchildren, are now in the process of registering with The Last Resort, a Swiss organization that offers euthanasia at Sarco, which was founded in July.
Peter and Christine Scott, who have been married for 46 years, made the decision after former nurse Christine, 80, was diagnosed with early-stage vascular dementia a few weeks ago.
Peter and Chris Scott about 35 years ago
The pod works by replacing air, which is 21 percent oxygen and 79 percent nitrogen, with 100 percent nitrogen, causing the occupant to quickly become unconscious and stop breathing in a process that takes less than ten minutes.
It hasn’t been tried yet, but its creator, Australian-born Philip Nitschke – nicknamed Doctor Death by right-to-life opponents – expects the first suicide to occur soon. The Scotts say they will wait until the machine’s new twin model is launched later this year.
In an extraordinarily candid interview at their home in the Suffolk village of Mellis, they revealed their plans in the hope of helping to campaign to legalise euthanasia in the UK, where it is illegal.
A Labour MP is currently considering introducing a bill after Sir Keir Starmer advocated a free vote in the House of Commons on the issue.
Peter said, “We have had a long, happy, healthy, and fulfilled life, but now we are old and that doesn’t do good things to you.
‘The idea of having to watch Chris’ mental faculties slowly deteriorate in parallel with my own physical decline is horrifying to me.
‘Of course I would care for her to the point where I couldn’t, but she has cared for enough people with dementia in her career to be adamant that she wants to retain control over herself and her life. Euthanasia gives her that opportunity and I wouldn’t want to live without her.
Australian-born Philip Nitschke – nicknamed Doctor Death by opponents of the right to life – expects the first suicide to occur soon
A look at the Sarco suicide machine, a 3D-printed capsule that gives the user ultimate control over the timing of his/her death
A display shows the login screen and the release button for pure nitrogen in the Sarco suicide machine
‘We understand that other people may not share our feelings and we respect their position. What we want is the right to choose. I find it deeply depressing that we cannot do that here in the UK.
‘But consider the alternative. The chances of you getting NHS treatment for the ills of old age quickly seem pretty slim, so you end up trapped in weakness and pain.
‘I don’t want to go to care, lie in bed drooling and be incontinent. That’s not what I call life.’
‘Eventually the government will step in and take your savings and your home to pay for everything.’
He is currently struggling with all the paperwork required for the full application.
He is concerned about Christine’s application because it is more difficult for people with dementia to get help with suicide than for people with, for example, terminal cancer.
The Sarco was invented at the request of British stroke patient Tony Nicklinson. He was conscious after a stroke, but unable to move or speak.
He approached Nitschke to create a ‘death capsule’ that could be controlled at a moment’s notice; the only means of communication he had left.
person stands by the Sarco suicide machine during a presentation of The Last Resort in Zurich, Switzerland, July 17, 2024
A look at the 02 detector and the pure nitrogen release button in the Sarco suicide machine
Nicklinson pleaded with the court for a legal death sentence, but was denied. He eventually starved himself to death in 2012, before Sarco was even established.
The pod works by replacing air, which is 21 percent oxygen and 79 percent nitrogen, with 100 percent nitrogen, causing the occupant to quickly become unconscious and stop breathing in a process that takes less than ten minutes.
A camera in the capsule records their final moments. The footage is handed over to a coroner.
The Sarco, which is being 3D-printed, is expected to be free, but people will need to be able to pay to have their bodies removed by funeral directors. Peter and Christine would like to be cremated and have their ashes repatriated and scattered in their local church cemetery.
The only additional cost currently known is £16 for the liquid nitrogen used in the pod, making it more economical than other euthanasia clinics, which typically charge £10,000.
Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Dr Nitschke confirmed that his couple’s suicide capsule was ready for launch. He said: ‘The two-person capsule works exactly the same as the single-person Sarco, but there’s only one button, so they’ll decide between themselves who presses it. Then they can hold on to each other and one of them will press the button.’
The Sarco was invented at the request of British stroke victim Tony Nicklinson, who was conscious but unable to move or speak after a stroke.
Christine has already planned her last days. ‘I would like to go hiking with Peter in the Swiss Alps, along a river. I would like to have a nice plate of fish for my last supper and enjoy a great bottle of Merlot.
‘I made a playlist of Wild Cat Blues and The Young Ones by Cliff Richard and I found a poem called Miss Me But Let Me Go, which sums up exactly how I feel.’
The 1930s song Goodbye by American composer Gordon Jenkins is also on Peter’s playlist. A former RAF aerospace engineer, he worked in the aerospace industry around the world before returning to his native East Anglia to pursue a second career as a careers advisor.
He and Christine fell in love at first sight after meeting in a jazz club. She was a nurse with a small daughter from her first marriage. After the marriage, they had a son together.
Their children encourage them to move to a nursing home, but the couple is determined to make euthanasia a possibility.
Christine says: ‘It’s a beautiful life, but I have this diagnosis and it crystallised our thinking. Medication can slow vascular dementia, but it can’t stop it. At the point where I thought I was losing myself, I said: ‘This is it, Pete, I don’t want to go on.’
He adds: ‘I told her, ‘You make the decision and I will be with you.’ Death is not a problem for me at all.
“I would just give her a big hug and say, ‘I hope to see you later.’