For a report on the work of NuTech:
See Scientific American
Vol. 292, No. 6, June 2005
Scientific American: A Culture of Death

Nutech's work is discussed in the second half of an 'Insights' article by Dianne Martindale.

NuTech Report

New methods of self-deliverance under investigation

Twenty of the world's experts on voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide met in Seattle, USA, the weekend of January 10-11, 2004, to explore methods of hastened death that dying persons could use to 'self-deliver' without breaking the law or with help from a physician.

Representatives came from the Netherlands, France, Germany, Australia, Canada, and America, meeting under the auspices of the New Technology for Self-Deliverance Group (NuTech), founded in 1999. The Euthanasia Research & Guidance Organization (ERGO) was the host.

While Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the US state of Oregon each have some type of lawful hastened death, the rest of the world seems paralyzed on law reform. And even in the four places where it is permitted, there are sometimes adults who do not qualify under the law but their illness still justifies -- to them -- bringing life to an end. Therefore NuTech's mission is to find alternatives for self-deliverance that can be used by competent adults to escape the misery of protracted and hopeless suffering.

So far the group's chief success has been the development of a helium gas and plastic bag method of self-deliverance that has already been used by hundreds of people for a peaceful, quick death in minutes. It is described in the paperback 'Final Exit' 3rd edition. "There are no failures provided the equipment is set up properly," one doctor told the Seattle meeting.

Dr. Philip Nitschke in Australia has developed what he calls the 'CO Genie' -- an apparatus that turns out lethal carbon monoxide that can be made at home. This method has not yet been used by any person. At workshops throughout the country, under Dr. Nitschke's supervision, lay people have been practicing constructing the 'CO Genie'. Plans for this will be revealed later this year.

Dutch doctors revealed that a new, small organization has been set up in their country called the Dutch Society for Scientific Self-Deliverance With Care (WOZZ). It has published (in Dutch) a small book spelling out the latest types of drugs and their dosages with information gleaned from research in the last four years.

They reported that over the last ten years, since the Netherlands has been gathering euthanasia data, there had been no increase in doctor-assisted deaths.

Between three and four percent of all deaths in that country are doctor-assisted in some way. But there is, they said, a constant need to know which drugs are best and in what quantity.

Self-deliverance in the Netherlands with inert gases was not popular because of memories of the Nazi Holocaust. Anyway, as euthanasia is lawful under legal guidelines, carefully selected drugs could be used successfully.

The meeting was concerned to hear that a total of five different criminal cases were now outstanding in the world where people have been charged - or about to be - with assisted suicide or attempted murder. These cases are in Canada, New Zealand, France, Ireland and the Isle of Man. More info on this at www.worldrtd.net

NuTech wound up its meeting with discussions on how badly-needed finance could be raised for more scientific research into methods of hastened death which were within the bounds of societal and legal acceptance.

The NuTech group needs funding for its research and liason. If you would like to contribute go to ERGO's Donation/Contribution page and at the same time be sure to Join ERGO.

For more info about ERGO please visit the "About ERGO" webpages.