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"I don't call that a life": Couple sign up to die in double suicide pod

Warning: This article contains sensitive content that some readers may find distressing. A couple from the UK has signed up to be the first to die in a double suicide pod, invented by an Australian doctor, after 46 years of marriage. Peter and Christine Scott, from Suffolk in England’s east, have shared their plans to travel to Switzerland to die together after Ms Scott, a former nurse, was diagnosed with early-stage vascular dementia. After meeting at a jazz club, the pair married 46 years ago, and shared that they have opted out of potentially years of hospital treatment and the crippling costs of care which could eat into their life savings. “We have had long, happy, healthy, fulfilled lives but here we are in old age and it does not do nice things to you,” Mr Scott, 86, told<a title="www.dailymail.co.uk" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13825105/Former-RAF-engineer-nurse-wife-sign-British-couple-use-double-suicide-pod-Switzerland-dementia.html"> The Daily Mail</a>. “The idea of watching the slow degradation of Chris’s mental abilities in parallel to my own physical decline is horrific to me,” the former Royal Air Force pilot added. “Obviously I would care for her to the point I could not, but she has nursed enough people with dementia during her career to be adamant she wants to remain in control of herself and her life”. “I would not want to go on living without her,” he said of his 80-year-old wife. “I don’t want to go into care, to be lying in bed dribbling and incontinent – I don’t call that a life”. As English law does not allow for euthanasia, the couple have planned their trip to Switzerland for the procedure, where Ms Scott has planned out her final days with her husband. “I’d like to go walking with Peter in the Swiss Alps, by a river. I’d have a beautiful plate of fish for my last supper, and enjoy a great bottle of Merlot,” she said. “I’d make a playlist including Wild Cat Blues and The Young Ones by Cliff Richard and I’ve found a poem called Miss Me But Let Me Go, which sums up exactly how I feel”. The suicide pod, known as Sarco, can be turned on with a simple flick of a switch from inside the futuristic capsule that resembles a modern car. The machine was invented by Australian Dr Philip Nitschke, who has long been behind a number of initiatives to allow legal euthanasia in Australia. The 3D printed Sarco capsule ends the lives of those inside by pumping the pod with nitrogen which replaces the oxygen in the pod, which renders the occupants unconscious within about a minute without, its claimed, any panic or distress. With falling oxygen, the person eventually suffocates. Dr Nitschke said the machine is activated by a button from inside the pod. “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 told <a title="www.dailymail.co.uk" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13825105/Former-RAF-engineer-nurse-wife-sign-British-couple-use-double-suicide-pod-Switzerland-dementia.html">The Daily Mail</a>. “Then they’ll be able to hold each other”. Image credits: Courtesy of Exit International

Legal

Long Covid sufferer applies for voluntary euthanasia

After suffering with long Covid for over two years, a Canadian woman believes she has been left with no choice but to apply for voluntary euthanasia. Tracey Thompson, a Toronto resident in her 50s, told <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-woman-enduring-effects-of-long-covid-begins-process-for-medically-assisted-death-1.5976944" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link-type="article-inline">CTV News</a> she had begun the process of applying for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), due to extreme fatigue and a lack of financial support. Tracey used to work long hours as a chef, but has been unable to work for the last 26 months, with no foreseeable end to her forced unemployment. “(MAiD) is exclusively a financial consideration,” she said. “My choices are basically to die slowly and painfully, or quickly. Those are the options that are left.” As well as a lack of financial support, Tracey has experienced long Covid symptoms such as severe fatigue, blurred vision, difficulty digesting food, difficulty breathing, an altered sense of taste and smell, and scars on her heart from swelling due to myocarditis. While health experts say long Covid is difficult to diagnosis, it is estimated that five percent of those who contract the virus will go on to have long term symptoms. Tracey also told CTV that she now struggles to get up and look after herself, which is very different to her previous fast paced life in a physically demanding job. “From being able-bodied and employed to basically bed-bound,” she said. “I can’t get up on average for 20-plus hours. I have very little capacity to expend the energy physically, mentally and emotionally, so I try to stay home all the time.” But Thompson stressed she still enjoys life and doesn’t want to die, but doesn’t think she could survive without an income. “I still enjoy life. Birds chirping, small things that make up a day are still pleasant to me, they’re still enjoyable. I still enjoy my friends. There’s a lot to enjoy in life, even if it’s small,” she said. “But I don’t relish the idea of suffering for months to come to the same conclusion." “When support is not coming, things aren’t going to change. It seems irrational to put myself through that just to die in the end.” While Tracey is unsure if she would be eligible for the Ontario Disability Support Program, she believes the maximum monthly payment would only just cover her rent, leading her to apply for the drastic action of voluntary euthanasia. In Canada, you do not need to have a terminal illness to be eligible for MAiD, but rather have an illness that “cannot be relieved under conditions that you consider acceptable”. Thompson said she was confident she would get approval. “As best I know, I would meet the criteria,” she said. "I'm very ill. There is no treatment. There is no cure." Image credits: CTV

Caring

225kg "Hank the Tank" bear ransacks wealthy neighbourhood

Residents of a wealthy California neighbourhood have been terrorised by a 225kg black bear, nicknamed Hank the Tank by authorities. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) , the one bear has been linked to "property damage at 38 different properties" in the affluent Tahoe Keys neighbourhood. The trouble-making bear has been the source of more than 150 calls between law enforcement and wildlife personnel in recent months. Peter Tira, a spokesperson for the CDFW said Hank has been spotted more and more as he has developed a taste for pizza, and has yet to be deterred by efforts from local police to scare it off with paintballs and sirens. “It’s easier to find leftover pizza than to go in the forest,” Tira said “This is a bear that has lost all fear of people,” he added. “It’s a potentially dangerous situation.” Due to the heightened number of sightings and complaints about Hank, the CDFW has been setting up traps to catch the beast, but to no avail. “The trapping activity is a measure of last resort to capture and euthanise a specific and what we call a severely habituated or human-food conditioned black bear,” Tira said. Despite the potential danger, the bear hunt has sparked an outcry from local residents, who tried to sabotage them by trying to scare away the bear, playing loud music, and even spray-painting “Bear Killer” on the government’s trap. A bear activist group called the BEAR League has been coordinating with the CDFW for Hank the Tank to be relocated to a wildlife sanctuary instead of euthanised. “The BEAR League reached out to the director of an excellent out-of-state wildlife sanctuary who agreed he has room and would be very willing to give this bear a permanent home,” said executive director Ann Bryant. “We notified [the California Department of Fish and Wildlife] on Tuesday morning asking that this option be seriously considered rather than killing the bear.” While talks to relocate Hank are still ongoing, the CDFW has urged residents to practice preventive measures to keep bears out, such as securing garbage properly and keeping trash out of cars. According to the New York Post, when people relocated to Tahoe Keys to work from home due to the pandemic, these new residents did not adhere to preventive measures, prompting Hank the Tank to come out of the woods and forage for food. Image credits: Facebook - BEAR League

Family & Pets

“Odiously absurd”: Animal shelter euthanises dogs over COVID-19 fears

An animal shelter in north-west New South Wales has come under fire for euthanising several rescue dogs. Authorities at the Bourke Shire Council put down the animals to further enforce COVID-19 travel restrictions in the area . A shelter in Cobar, in there state's central west, was supposed to come and collect the animals, but the Bourke Shire Council didn't want breaching state-wide travel restrictions. Residents in regional New South Wales are currently subject to lockdown measures, containing them to their local government area unless leaving for essential reasons. The town of Cobar has a population of under 4,000 and has remained largely untouched by COVID-19, with fragments detected in wastewater samples but no cases reported. The Office of Local Government has launched an investigation to the killings, after receiving nation-wide backlash. Animal Justice Party MP Emma Hurst said she was told 16 dogs were killed, including a “mother dog and her puppies”. The MP took to Facebook to express her anger and sadness at the cruel act. “While there are reports the dogs were shot, our contacts have told us they were euthanised,” she wrote. “I’m sharing this to make it clear there is NO health order for pounds to kill all the animals - please share this so it doesn’t happen again.” News of the mass-killings have reached an international audience online, with many condemning the barbarity of the council's decision. British comedian and animal right activist Ricky Gervais described the council as “stupid c****” while English football legend Gary Lineker said it was “odiously absurd”. Image credit: FILE PHOTO - Shutterstock

Family & Pets

"Crushed with guilt": Decision to put down "pandemic puppy" causes heated debate

A journalist has sparked debates online over her decision to euthanise her dog she adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Madeline Bills published a piece on Slate sharing the story of her adoption of Bennie, “a six-year old beagle whose photo melted my heart”, just before Christmas. “Like many others last year, I was thrilled to adopt a dog,” she wrote. “The so called pandemic puppy boom made for what felt like stiff competition at the time.” But, the journalist said the New Jersey animal shelter she adopted Bonnie from likely failed to inform her of the dog’s history of aggressive behaviour. After six months of behavioural training and “daily dog anxiety meds” seemed to make no difference to Bonnie’s biting, Bilis made the decision to try and rehome the pooch. “But I soon learned the shelter where Bonnie came from wouldn’t help me. A volunteer explained that Bonnie was too dangerous to adopt out again, and their affiliated sanctuaries - including several beagle-specific rescues - declined to take her,” she wrote. “Another dog rescue organisation in New York City told me that her bite history - seven bites at the time, though that number would grow - was too extensive for her to even qualify for a special rehabilitation program.” Bilis said both conversations ended with the same conclusion: “behavioural euthanasia”. “She was adorable - and violent,” Bilis wrote. “I found a resolution many choose but few acknowledge.” <a href="https://twitter.com/madelinebilis/status/1402611855252668417">https://twitter.com/madelinebilis/status/1402611855252668417</a> The article drew praise from some readers for addressing a difficult topic, which described how Bonnie was involved in several biting incidents. “Last Christmas morning, I patted my bed, invitingly my newly adopted beagle, Bonnie, to jump and cuddle,” she began in the piece. “My boyfriend, still under the covers, reached out to pet her soft little head, which was now wedged between us. I turned away to grab my phone, and it happened: a guttural bark, followed by a human scream. I whipped around to see my boyfriend’s hand covered in blood. It was Bonnie’s second bite in the week since I’d adopted her.” Bilis recounted another incident where Bonnie bit a man walking past them on the footpath, though she was surprised “the man brushed off the incident”. As the number of incidents continued to grow, Bilis said her “desire to stop living with a dangerous animal” grew too. “As the weeks went by and no new options appeared, I realised I had a choice: I could send her off with a stranger one day - someone she would certainly injure, and who would perhaps end up euthanising her anyway - or I could allow her to leave this terrifying world peacefully with someone she loves.” She stressed the choice to pursue behavioural euthanasia was “not a decision made out of convenience”. “Crushed with guilt, I wondered if there was more I could have done to help my sweet beagle,” she said. Unsurprisingly, the article drew criticism online, with other owners of adopted dogs claiming the decision was motivated by inconvenience. One user said that in her “30-year-plus career as a veterinarian who works on dogs with anxieties and behavioural issues, I’ve only had to euthanise two dogs for child safety reason.” Many also defended Bilis, agreeing she had no choice in the matter. “A lot of people angry about this article but obviously the correct thing to do with a violent and dangerous domesticated animal is put it down,” wrote Daily Wire host Matt Walsh.

Family & Pets

Facebook blocks terminally ill man from live streaming his death

Facebook said it would block the livestream of a Frenchman suffering from an incurable condition who wanted to broadcast his death on the social media platform. Alain Cocq recently announced that he was refusing all food, drink and medicine after President Emmanuel Macron declined his request for euthanasia. The 57-year-old suffers from a rare medical condition which causes the walls of his arteries to stick together. Cocq believed he had less than a week to live and said he would broadcast his death from Saturday morning. "The road to deliverance begins and believe me, I am happy," he wrote on Facebook shortly after midnight in a post announcing he had "finished his last meal". "I know the days ahead are going to be difficult but I have made my decision and I am calm," he added. Facebook has been heavily criticised over the way it monitors content and said it was against their rules to portray suicide. "Although we respect (Cocq's) decision to want to draw attention to this complex question, following expert advice we have taken measures to prevent the live broadcast on Alain's account," a Facebook spokesman told AFP. "Our rules do not allow us to show suicide attempts." Cocq is trying to gather supporters saying: "Facebook is blocking my video broadcast until September 8." "It is up to you now," he said in a message to supporters before giving out Facebook's French address "so you can let them know what you think about their methods of restricting free speech". "There will be a back-up within 24 hours" to run the video, he added. Cocq had asked Macron for permission after he wanted to die in peace by taking a substance, but the president refused, saying it was not allowed under French law. Cocq has used his plight to draw attention to the situation of terminally ill patients in France who are unable to be allowed to die in line with their wishes. "Because I am not above the law, I am not able to comply with your request," Macron said in a letter to Cocq, which the patient published on his Facebook page. "I cannot ask anyone to go beyond our current legal framework... Your wish is to request active assistance in dying which is not currently permitted in our country."

Legal

“Does this look like a murderer”: The photo that shows the end of a 60-year love story

It’s the end of a 60-year-old love story that involves a couple making a pact to end their lives together. Mavis and her husband Dennis Eccleston made a pact after Dennis was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer and asked for help ending his own life. Neither one wanted to live in this world without the other and Mavis wrote a 14-page note before both husband and wife drank a cocktail of prescription drugs. Shortly after ingesting the drugs, the couple were rushed to hospital after being found unconscious by their daughter and granddaughter. Dennis had a ‘do not resuscitate’ order on his record and died soon after arriving at the hospital. He passed away holding hands with his wife in adjoining hospital beds. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> Does this look like a murderer? Our mom got charged with murder for trying to commit suicide with our cancer riddled dad, so he would be out of pain. This was the end of a 60 year love story, NOT MURDER!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/dignityindying?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dignityindying</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BBCNews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ITV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ITV</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/davidgold?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@davidgold</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MeacherMolly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MeacherMolly</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/kevinwwfc666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kevinwwfc666</a> <a href="https://t.co/oZb3FwmXqY">pic.twitter.com/oZb3FwmXqY</a> — Joy Munns (@JoyMunns) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoyMunns/status/1191398735114383361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">4 November 2019</a></blockquote> Mavis, however, was saved. The following day, she was arrested and held in a cell for 30 hours. According to Mavis’ family, Mavis left the hospital in tears after a nurse callously told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/22/family-80-year-old-cleared-murdering-husband-mercy-killing-claim/" target="_blank">her</a>: “We have got to wait for the police because you have murdered your husband and you are going to prison for a long, long time.” Mavis and Dennis’ daughter Joy told BBC Breakfast about the horrific ordeal. “I was holding onto her and I didn’t want them to take her,” she said. “You could see that [the police] didn’t want to take her but they had to because it was their job.” In April 2019, Mavis was told she was to be charged with the murder of her husband. “When you hear that someone’s been murdered, you think of something horrific,” Joy explained. “This was my mum and dad we’re talking about.” However, after a three-week trial in September, Mavis was found not guilty by a jury. Mavis spoke to the media after her trial, saying that she was “annoyed” when she woke up in hospital. “I wanted to be with my husband. You wouldn’t let an animal suffer the way Dennis was suffering,” she said. “I don’t regret what I did and wouldn’t change what happened. I live with a very contented family and I am happy for them – but I would still rather be with Dennis.”

Body

Paralympic gold medallist dies by euthanasia at age 40

Paralympian gold medallist Marieke Vervoort has passed away by euthanasia at the age of 40, 11 years after making a promise to herself. The Belgian Paralympian suffered from an incurable degenerative spinal condition which was diagnosed at the age of 21. The diagnosis followed years of pain, and Vervoort continued to suffer after receiving her diagnosis. "I know how I feel now, but I don't know how I'll feel after half an hour," she says. "It can be that I feel very, very bad, I get an epileptic attack, I cry, I scream because of pain. I need a lot of painkillers, valium, morphine,” she told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/disability-sport/50150513" target="_blank">the BBC.</a> "A lot of people ask me how is it possible that you can have such good results and still be smiling with all the pain and medication that eats your muscles. For me, sports, and racing with a wheelchair - it's a kind of medication." Vervoort was a strong advocate for euthanasia, as she first signed the documents necessary back in 2008, just six years after euthanasia was made legal in Belgium. "I was a very depressed person. I was thinking about how I was going to kill myself,” she said. "All those people who get those papers here in Belgium – they have a good feeling. They don't have to die in pain. "They can choose a moment, and be with the people they want to be with. With euthanasia you're sure that you will have a soft, beautiful death." <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3x0kvcH4ud/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3x0kvcH4ud/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">Can’t forget the good memories!</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/wielemie.marieke.vervoort/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Marieke Vervoort</a> (@wielemie.marieke.vervoort) on Oct 18, 2019 at 4:45pm PDT </div> </blockquote> A statement from the Belgian Paralympic Committee and IPC called her a “source of inspiration in our society”. "We will not forget Marieke Vervoort's great sporting achievements, as well as her courage in the face of illness," said President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee, Anne d'Ieteren. Marc Vergauwen, Secretary General of the Belgian Paralympic Committee, shared the same sentiment. “Marieke Vervoort brought the disabled into the light with her two medals at the London Paralympic Games. "Her performances as well as her spontaneous interviews after her races generated great media attention for Paralympic sport in Belgium and were a source of inspiration for our society."

Caring

I want the choice to die with dignity

Judith Daley, 71, pens this moving open letter on why she supports voluntary euthanasia. <img width="164" height="164" src="https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/vep/pages/164/attachments/original/1423608011/210x210_Judith.png?1423608011" style="margin: 20px; float: left;"/> I am a life member of Dying with Dignity. I am on the Dying with Dignity Committee and a member of the Voluntary Euthanasia Party. The first half of my working life was in office administration and those experiences shaped my desire to work in social justice. I was 49 before I went to university for the first time. The last half of my working life was basically all about social justice as a union industrial officer and delegate; as a conciliation officer with the Human Rights Commission and as an industrial investigator. My late partner, Bob, had a rare heart condition so he and I were forced to focus on his possible imminent death on many, many occasions. We joined Dying with Dignity NSW in the early 1990s and we became life members in 1999. I am now on that Committee. Bob had lots of emergency admissions to hospital via ambulance and we heard frequent excruciating, screaming, moaning deaths so he became extremely apprehensive about the manner of his death although he wasn’t worried about the destination. Bob died nearly eight years ago and I am pleased that he died at home, with my arm around him, in a very speedy manner. Approximately 20 years ago I was diagnosed with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, also known as emphysema) because I am an ex-smoker. This means I have had to face my mortality on several occasions when I have had out of control lung infections and pneumonia. I’ve had several trips to hospital and been obliged to use oxygen to supplement my breathing. Although my condition is currently well managed it will gradually deteriorate and ultimately I will not be breathing. I will be gurgling so I have the same concerns about the manner of my death. Sadly I am very aware that not all pain can be controlled by today's drugs and the palliative care processes. For people in that circumstance, and for whom the future is intolerable, and who are mentally competent to make the decision, assisted death should be a real, dignified and viable option. With proper safeguards in place it will not be a slippery slope. It is not compulsory for those who do not want to take that option but they should not be able to control my choice. Without assisted dying legislation our community is imposing prolonged agony and misery on some people as well as forcing the families and friends of those people to participate in their distress and anxiety. And this suffering can last for months and even years. I want the choice of voluntary euthanasia because it is the humane option for some and I believe it is a fundamental human right. Let's treat people as well as we treat our pets. Do you think we should be given the choice of voluntary euthanasia? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below. If you have a story or opinion to share, please get in touch at <a href="mailto:melody@oversixty.com.au">melody@oversixty.com.au</a> Related links: <a href="/health/caring/2016/06/dementia-malnutrition-risk/">Dementia patients at risk of malnutrition</a> <a href="/health/caring/2016/05/signs-of-elderly-abuse-and-neglect/">Signs your elderly loved one is suffering abuse or neglect</a> <a href="/health/caring/2016/05/how-to-tell-loved-ones-about-serious-illness-diagnosis/">How to talk to loved ones about a serious illness diagnosis</a>

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"I don't call that a life": Couple sign up to die in double suicide pod

Long Covid sufferer applies for voluntary euthanasia

225kg "Hank the Tank" bear ransacks wealthy neighbourhood

“Odiously absurd”: Animal shelter euthanises dogs over COVID-19 fears

"Crushed with guilt": Decision to put down "pandemic puppy" causes heated debate

Facebook blocks terminally ill man from live streaming his death

“Does this look like a murderer”: The photo that shows the end of a 60-year love story

Paralympic gold medallist dies by euthanasia at age 40

I want the choice to die with dignity