Comments on: Assisted Suicide Ring Members Prep for Court Fight http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2009/02/28/assisted-suicide-ring-members-prep-for-court-fight/ Weblog of Derek Humphry, Founder of Hemlock Society Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:21:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: ergo http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2009/02/28/assisted-suicide-ring-members-prep-for-court-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-10477 ergo Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:39:53 +0000 http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/?p=461#comment-10477 Ted Goodwin, one of the accused, categoricaly denies that he ever holds anybody down during a helium hood death. I have been an observer at three Final Exit Network training sessions and never heard nor saw any reference to holding people down. No doubt some people want their hands held as a gesture of love and comfort at this extremely difficult time. I was sat on the end of the bed when a dear friend of mine ended her life with the helium method, and she didn't ask for her hands to be held, she switched the tank on, there were no convulsions, and she was peacefully gone. -- Derek Humphry. Help the defense of the Georgia Four: www.finalexitlibertyfund.org Ted Goodwin, one of the accused, categoricaly denies that he ever holds anybody down during a helium hood death.
I have been an observer at three Final Exit Network training sessions and never heard nor saw any reference to holding people down. No doubt some people want their hands held as a gesture of love and comfort at this extremely difficult time. I was sat on the end of the bed when a dear friend of mine ended her life with the helium method, and she didn’t ask for her hands to be held, she switched the tank on, there were no convulsions, and she was peacefully gone. — Derek Humphry. Help the defense of the Georgia Four: http://www.finalexitlibertyfund.org

]]> By: ergo http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2009/02/28/assisted-suicide-ring-members-prep-for-court-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-10470 ergo Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:14:16 +0000 http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/?p=461#comment-10470 Ted Goodwin, the accused person in the Georgia Four case, has denied publicly that he climbed, or ever climbs on top of a person who wish to die via the helium method. Ted and Claire say they each held a hand of the dying man -- as is quite common in all instances of dying. I know that climbing on top of the person is NOT taught or advised at Final Exit Network training sessions because I've attended some. Nor is it necessary because coma comes in 3-4 seconds and death in 3-5 minutes. The police are exaggerating their evidence the better to achieve a conviction. Not unusual. ---------------Derek Humphry Ted Goodwin, the accused person in the Georgia Four case, has denied publicly that he climbed, or ever climbs on top of a person who wish to die via the helium method.
Ted and Claire say they each held a hand of the dying man — as is quite common in all instances of dying.
I know that climbing on top of the person is NOT taught or advised at Final Exit Network training sessions because I’ve attended some. Nor is it necessary because coma comes in 3-4 seconds and death in 3-5 minutes.
The police are exaggerating their evidence the better to achieve a conviction. Not unusual.
—————Derek Humphry

]]> By: tammy http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2009/02/28/assisted-suicide-ring-members-prep-for-court-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-10469 tammy Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:14:20 +0000 http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/?p=461#comment-10469 I heard the report on NPR today. It quoted the detective in the sting saying the exit guide climbed on top of him on the bed to hold him down so he wouldn't take the hood off. This during an initial consult? This sounds so bizarre. Why was there no surveillance audio or video of this encounter? Bad thing is it will come down to the word of the detective vs. that of the exit guide. Sometimes police and prosecutors "know" someone is guilty but they can't prove it. They really need to get that "bad" person off the street or make sure they are punished. So they take action to get the person arrested and charged and sometimes convicted. Evidence is planted, events are fabricated. It happens. I wish luck to my fellow Final Exit members in this court fight and hope that it goes well and does spark a good debate on this important topic. I heard the report on NPR today. It quoted the detective in the sting saying the exit guide climbed on top of him on the bed to hold him down so he wouldn’t take the hood off. This during an initial consult? This sounds so bizarre. Why was there no surveillance audio or video of this encounter? Bad thing is it will come down to the word of the detective vs. that of the exit guide.

Sometimes police and prosecutors “know” someone is guilty but they can’t prove it. They really need to get that “bad” person off the street or make sure they are punished. So they take action to get the person arrested and charged and sometimes convicted. Evidence is planted, events are fabricated. It happens.

I wish luck to my fellow Final Exit members in this court fight and hope that it goes well and does spark a good debate on this important topic.

]]> By: ergo http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2009/02/28/assisted-suicide-ring-members-prep-for-court-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-10465 ergo Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:51:52 +0000 http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/?p=461#comment-10465 As he came out of prison on bail, Ted Goodwin denied that he held any person down, and certainly not the sting policeman. The woman who was with Ted says that in the case of the man whom they are accused of helping, both and Ted each held a hand to comfort the dying man. Not unusual! The helium hood method is so fast that holding down would not be necessary -- coma in 3-4 seconds, death in 3-4 minutes. See '<a href="http://www.finalexit.org/ergo-bookstore" rel="nofollow">Final Exit'.</a> As he came out of prison on bail, Ted Goodwin denied that he held any person down, and certainly not the sting policeman. The woman who was with Ted says that in the case of the man whom they are accused of helping, both and Ted each held a hand to comfort the dying man. Not unusual! The helium hood method is so fast that holding down would not be necessary — coma in 3-4 seconds, death in 3-4 minutes. See ‘Final Exit’.

]]> By: tammy http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2009/02/28/assisted-suicide-ring-members-prep-for-court-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-10464 tammy Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:41:05 +0000 http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/?p=461#comment-10464 The detective in the sting operation reported that the exit guide said that the guide would hold his arms so that he would not be able to pull off the hood. If this it true, there is big trouble. Having read Final Exit, and much of the website, I remember reading about how the guide will "hold your hand" to comfort you. This has always seemed a little odd to me. I expect if I am faced with that end of life moment, I will see it as a solitary time and not need comfort from a person who is basically a stranger. But maybe I just have different feelings about death than many people. I wonder if prosecutors will latch onto that language in the context of taking an active role in the suicide? "Your website even says that the exit guide will hold your hands, doesn't it..." I am curious what evidence they will produce. Did they record the sting encounter? If not, why not? The detective in the sting operation reported that the exit guide said that the guide would hold his arms so that he would not be able to pull off the hood. If this it true, there is big trouble. Having read Final Exit, and much of the website, I remember reading about how the guide will “hold your hand” to comfort you. This has always seemed a little odd to me. I expect if I am faced with that end of life moment, I will see it as a solitary time and not need comfort from a person who is basically a stranger. But maybe I just have different feelings about death than many people. I wonder if prosecutors will latch onto that language in the context of taking an active role in the suicide? “Your website even says that the exit guide will hold your hands, doesn’t it…”

I am curious what evidence they will produce. Did they record the sting encounter? If not, why not?

]]> By: bcr http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/2009/02/28/assisted-suicide-ring-members-prep-for-court-fight/comment-page-1/#comment-10462 bcr Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:27:31 +0000 http://assistedsuicide.org/blog/?p=461#comment-10462 Unfortunately these individuals may be in a lot of trouble. I feel there should be public debate about the right to die but, until laws and society change, the actual acts should be kept discreet. Assisted suicide is widely practiced in just about every hospital in the world and I have been witness to more than a few in several parts of the world. An exaggerated dose of medication is usually administered without publicity and everyone involved....doctors, nurses and sometimes family.....simply do not speak of it. As a husband or wife with lovers on the side would say, "if no one knows then no one will mind or be hurt". Discreet assistance would seem to be the best policy for the moment. Unfortunately these individuals may be in a lot of trouble. I feel there should be public debate about the right to die but, until laws and society change, the actual acts should be kept discreet.

Assisted suicide is widely practiced in just about every hospital in the world and I have been witness to more than a few in several parts of the world. An exaggerated dose of medication is usually administered without publicity and everyone involved….doctors, nurses and sometimes family…..simply do not speak of it. As a husband or wife with lovers on the side would say, “if no one knows then no one will mind or be hurt”.

Discreet assistance would seem to be the best policy for the moment.

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