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Aussies throw support behind Dr Death amid new euthanasia live-stream service

Aug 03, 2019

Philip Nitschke has launched a new live-stream service allowing him to watch as people end their lives through euthanasia. Source: Getty

A leading right-to-die campaigner has created a controversial new live-stream service so he can watch in real time as people end their lives via euthanasia.

While it may seem odd to some, Phillip Nitschke, also dubbed Dr Death, has claimed it’s all for a good cause as it gives him the opportunity to ensure they are getting a peaceful ending to life, Nine News reports.

The founder of Exit International said he wants to make sure people across the country are not in any distress when taking a cheap substance that he claims two people in Brisbane have already taken while live-streaming to himself.

“Some people who have been planning to take this step have been very generous,” he said according to Nine News. “They do not mind having their deaths observed because they are aware that we are very keen to get good information.”

One of those who is in support of euthanasia and Dr Death is 77-year-old Mary who is suffering from 10 different illnesses.

TONIGHT on #9ACA, we speak to Dr Philip Nitschke. For 22 years he's been campaigning to legalise assisted dying. pic.twitter.com/B4uqJncOZ6

— A Current Affair (@ACurrentAffair9) August 2, 2019

Speaking to A Current Affair on Friday night, Mary explained the time will come when she says “I don’t want to do this anymore”.

“When I wake up in the morning I think dam… I’m still here,” she said.

Her thoughts were echoed by 87-year-old cancer battler Peter Arch-Rowe who explained there is a “time to die and a time to stay alive”.

“I think he’s [Dr Death] a saint,” Peter said.

“I have seen people in such pain and I thought, there is no way I want to do that.”

Their comments follow claims from Dr Death that police are raiding elderly Australians’ homes in a search for illegal euthanasia drugs.

He said many of his organisation Exit International’s group members have been targeted by police in the past two weeks as they worked to crack down on the amount of illegal death drugs being brought into the country.

The 71-year-old, who was in the Gold Coast to host a Disrupting Death workshop on assisted dying and voluntary euthanasia at the time, explained police are apparently looking for imported drugs which are used to end life.

“The raids are designed to frighten and intimidate those who want control at the end of their life,” Nitschke said in a statement. “It is another example of the futile and foolish war on drugs policy pursued by the Australian government.”

Also speaking to ABC Radio about the matter, Dr Death claimed police are describing them as “wellness checks” and want to ensure Australians aren’t putting themselves in harms way. However, Nitschke said it is only increasing the stress levels of the elderly who are already in terrible conditions.

“Police… are saying ‘we have found out, usually from some interception of email traffic, that you’ve done this, and we want you to hand over the drugs’,” he explained to the program, according to 7 News.

He added: “We see elderly people getting these drugs, they stop worrying about end-of-life choices, and they actually live longer.