Nitschke: Suicide ‘planned’

THE three women who took their own lives in a tragic suicide pact on the Gold Coast this week obtained how-to-die instructions from controversial euthanasia campaigner Philip “Dr Death” Nitschke and lethal nitrogen from his Cairns “home brewing” company.

Police are investigating but Dr Nitschke says he has nothing to fear as the mass death was “totally legal”.

He says the nitrogen the women used can be used for brewing beer “or for dying”.

Margaret Cummins, 78, and her daughters Heather, 54, and Wynette, 53, gassed themselves to death in the mother’s Ephraim Island apartment on Tuesday.

Ms Cummins was caring for Wynette, who was disabled and had brain cancer, while Heather lived in a neighbouring apart- ment. Amsterdam-based Dr Nitschke said the women had been members of his pro-euthanasia group Exit International for about a year and sought detailed instructions on how to die from an online version of his handbook The Peaceful Pill, hard copies of which were banned in Australia.

He said the women had obtained nitrogen cylinders from Max Dog Brewing.

The company does not sell home-brewing equipment apart from $780 nitrogen canisters and $330 regulator kits under the “Nitro IPA” label.

The website says purchasers must be over 50, never been diagnosed with a mental disorder and provide photo ID.

“This didn’t happen on the spur of the moment – a lot of planning went into it,” he said.

Detective-Senior Sergeant Mark Procter said he could not comment as police were preparing a report for the Coroner.