Assisted-Suicide Blog

More than half of Americans would rather die than live with a severe disability, according to a survey, Reuters reports.
In the online poll commissioned by Disaboom, a Web site and social network for people affected by disabilities, 52 percent of the 1,000 “nationally represented” adults chose death over losing the ability to live an independent life.
Disaboom, which launched the survey to better understand people’s perceptions of disabilities, said more than 54 million Americans — 1 in 6 people — live with some form of debilitating Continue Reading »

Tags: disabled persons

The Swiss Cabinet is set to clarify whether the rules for Switzerland’s assisted suicide organisations need to be updated.
In particular, it will look at issues relating to the care, counselling and documentation that euthanasia groups provide people seeking to end their lives. It will also discuss whether groups should be permitted to help healthy people kill themselves.
On Wednesday, cabinet instructed the justice ministry and the Federal Police to prepare a report on the controversial issue by early 2009.
The relatively new practice of providing people with easily available helium to end their own lives rather than prescription sodium pentobarbital has raised questions Continue Reading »

Tags: helium

Supporters of a so-called “Death With Dignity” initiative turned in an estimated 320,000 signatures on July 1, 2008, to the Secretary of State’s Office, virtually guaranteeing that Initiative 1000 will be on the November ballot in Washington State, USA.
If passed, it would permit physician-assisted suicide for dying adults who are residents and meet the guidelines.
The intended law will be similar to the one in Oregon which has been operating successfully for the past ten years.

Tags: Washington State

It is well to be aware that there are persons in America who troll this blog and my ERGO Listserv looking for people in distress, and then approach them and offer to help them to die for a price.

Hard evidence of this emerged in a recent television documentary, ‘Reverend Death’, distributed by Channel 4 TV in the UK. I assume it will shortly be screened worldwide.

Euthanasia for hire is repugnant, illegal, and damaging to our cause.

Some people wonder why in my book ‘Final Exit’ I am against the use of guns to end one’s life. The vast majority of American men who commit suicide use a gun. That’s their business.
ERGO’s campaign (as was Hemlock’s) is for peaceful self-deliverance or physician-assisted suicide for the terminally or hopelessly ill competent adult person who is
1. Too ill to leave the house or get out of bed;
2. Would like to die in the presence of loved ones, saying last goodbyes and thank yous;
3. Is too caring a person to inflict on others the awful job of cleaning up the brains and blood;
4. Wouldn’t want a loved one to have the shock of finding the body of a shot person;
5. Would prefer a tranquil death in bed, favorite armchair or garden seat by an overdose of lethal drugs or inhaling helium inert gas when they are ready to go.

It’s all a matter of choice………
– ———-Derek Humphry, Oregon Read Memoir

Tags: guns

A person put this question on the ERGO Listserv:
I have recently read your book ‘Final Exit‘ and thank you for writing such a book. I have 2 small older dogs that I want to take with me via helium method and I was thinking if I used a zippered mattress cover which are used for allergies and have them climb in with me, I obtained a twin size, I need to be sure this will work. Any information would be much appreciated.

—-It got these two replies:

(1) For the person who wants to take their life as well as their dogs lives:
I think it’s incredibly selfish to force your animals to die when you want to die. To impose your values or decisions on your companions is similar to doing it to children. They are helpless and need your good judgment to keep them safe. Please reconsider and instead find a loving home for these pups to go to when you are gone.

(2) Perhaps the writer of the message about taking her two older dogs with her when dying should have mentioned the age and present health of the dogs. Frankly, I do not see this as too much of a negative solution as society is overwhelmed with the number of dogs looking for new homes, and some personality dogs are ‘lost’ when their long-time owner is gone. Perhaps the author has already thought of other solutions.

The ERGO Listserv — dealing only in pro-choice in dying matters, is available (free subscription) by copying and posting this URL into your browser
http://www.lists.opn.org/mailman/listinfo/right-to-die_lists.opn.org

Tags: Pet euthanasia?

The ERGO Listserv is a moderated news list about events world-wide concerning right-to-die issues, chiefly assisted suicide of the terminally and hopelessly ill. Digest only; not necessarily issued every day. No charge is made for this service. Please give this List a sustained trial. Moderator: Derek Humphry

NEW list info address:
http://www.lists.opn.org/mailman/listinfo/right-to-die_lists.opn.org

Tags: ERGO Listserv

There has been a burst of publicity recently about the availability of the barbiturate pentobarbital (Nembutal) being purchased over the counter at vet. supply stores in Mexico. Apparently, dozens of Australians travel all the way to Mexico, at a cost of some $3,000 USD to get the drug which is lethal is overdose. But all the publicity may cause a backlash from the Mexican authorities. Reuters newsagency recently reported the following in an article on ’suicide tourism’:-

“A Mexican health ministry spokesman said it was working with the agriculture ministry to step up control of veterinary medicines, but declined to give details.”

Americans and Canadians have been quietly going into Mexico for 20 or more years buying veterinary Nembutal for their planned self-deliverance from a terminal illness. But with this flurry of publicity it seems likely that the Mexican government will shut down this source, as they did some years ago when pharmacies there were selling serious drugs and the media made a scandal out of it.

The availability of fast-acting barbiturates from vet.supply stores in Mexico has been reported in my book ‘Final Exit’ ever since l991.

Tags: Veterinary pentobarbital

How to help the Washington State Ballot initiative planned for this November

The aim is to introduce a law similar to Oregon’s ten year old physician-assisted dying law. The PAC driving the campaign (formerly called “It’s My Decision“) is now called Yes! on I-1000 (www.yeson1000.org).

Running the campaign is a coalition of right to die groups (Compassion and Choices of Washington, C&C National, Death With Dignity National Center, and ex-Washington Governor Booth Gardner.) The coalition is called the Washington Death With Dignity Coalition.

The best way to help the campaign is to either make direct, nondeductible donations, by sending checks to:

YES! on I-1000
PO Box 21984
Seattle, WA 98111

Or visit the website, www.yeson1000.org, and click on the “Contribute Now” button to make a donation online.

Tags: Washington law

Good Life, Good Death (eBook PDF)
Memoir of how a writer became an euthanasia advocate

by Derek Humphry
Founder of the Hemlock Society (1980-2003)
Author of Final Exit
NEW! Published May 21, 2008
$12.00 (PDF eBook) • 2008
Not available in paperback
321 pages • 19 chapters with photos

http://www.finalexit.org/ergo-store

ISBN 978-0-9768283-3-4

Born in England, brought up in a broken family during six years of war, Derek determined to become a writer despite a poor education. Starting as a newspaper messenger boy at 15, he worked his way up as a reporter to the London Daily Mail, the London Sunday Times and the Los Angeles Times.

Developing into an advocacy journalist, Derek wrote books on race relations, police corruption and a biography of Michael X. For ‘Because They’re Black’ he won the Martin Luther King Memorial Prize.

When the wife to whom he had been married for 22 years developed inoperable cancer, he nursed her for two years until Continue Reading »

Tags: Derek Humphry