Suicide pod creator Dr Nitschke, aka Dr Death, wants to create an implant that will kill you if not activated daily.
The suicide boffin's bold idea would see people insert the lethal implant and then press a button daily to stop poison leaking out.
If that person went on to develop dementia, they might forget to press the button effectively killing themselves.
Dr Nitschke told The Independent: “When a person has dementia, they can nowadays quite legally in some places fill out a bit of paper 10 years ago, when they are of sound mind, saying ‘if I get like this, kill me’.
“Now, 10 years later, a doctor can come along, read the bit of paper, and even though you don’t know which way is up or down, legally give you an injection and end your life. That makes a lot of people feel pretty uncomfortable, and certainly makes me feel uncomfortable.
“So what we’re working on here is some sort of an implant which you have to switch off every day. When you’ve forgotten why you’re switching something off that’s beeping, then you will die.
“That puts the responsibility right back onto the person and allows them to get what they want, which is that they do not want to live on as some form of vegetable, with no one prepared to end their lives.”
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The controversial doctor hasn't worked out what the poison would be or how it would be released, but he suggested the implant could beep for "a day or two" before releasing the poison to protect people against every-day forgetfulness and to ensure the dementia had progressed far.
The extreme idea follows Dr Nitschke's suicide pod concept which is a coffin-like capsule that kills you in less than a minute by reducing oxygen levels and flooding the pod with nitrogen.
Death would be quick, painless and peaceful, and even people suffering from locked-in syndrome could operate the contraption by blinking, reports The Independent.
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Called the Sarco machine, the 3D-printable suicide pod has passed a legal review in Switzerland, where suicide is legal.
After the pod's first use, planned for Switzerland next year, Dr Death wants to take it worldwide.
If you're struggling to cope call the Samaritans for free on 116 123. The NHS has further support and resources for people experiencing mental health issues.
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