Assisted Suicide in the US
Suicide Groups Uncovered
By Elenor K. Schoen
The recent history of assisted suicide in the United States includes a disturbing Georgia case which has exposed an entire web of practitioners of the "aid-in-dying" movement. This came to light following news of a "suicide ring" which emerged while investigating a death by asphyxiation in the state. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation uncovered a web of "aid-in-dying" groups around the country that have been quietly operating for the last five years.
John Celmer, 58, was assisted in killing himself by the Georgia-based Final Exit Network. The bureau discovered that the organization has 3,000 members, with 14 affiliate groups in nine states, and is possibly responsible for 200 such deaths in its five-year history.
Celmer was not terminally ill. He had survived head and neck surgeries which successfully eradicated his cancer, but which left him depressed because of the disfigurement it caused to his appearance. His physician was scheduling him for follow-up psychological treatment. He also suffered from pain due to arthritis, for which he needed hip replacement surgery.
Four members of Final Exit Network are being charged in the death of Celmer, who died by inhaling helium. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation also discovered other Final Exit cases.
The organization does not believe that "aid in dying" should be restricted to the terminally ill, but that it should be available to all who believe that their "quality of life" makes their lives not worth living.
FEN's operations have unmasked the interconnectedness of many of these "aid-in-dying" groups. Some are in agreement with Final Exit Network's approach, and some not.
FEN derives its name from its affiliation with Derek Humphry, founder of the Hemlock Society, who wrote a how-to book on suicide entitled Final Exit. Humphry is an advisor to Final Exit Network, and runs the Euthanasia Research and Guidance Organization. The Hemlock Society was later renamed Compassion & Choices, much to the dismay of Humphry, in order to soften the image of what they do.
According to his blog, Humphry is fundraising for the four Final Exit Network members charged in Celmer's death.
Humphry recently discussed his involvement in the right-to-die movement." Not only had he "pioneered the Oregon law from its introduction to its passage," but he helped finance the laws "in Oregon and Washington and failed attempts in Maine, Michigan and California."
As to the recent death by asphyxiation, he stated: "Not only do I approve of the 'helium hood technique' [used] by the Final Exit Network, but I was on the NuTech team which invented it."
Even though Humphry founded the organization under a different name, Compassion & Choices is one such practitioner trying to distance itself from FEN. In a recent press release, Steve Hopcraft, spokesman for Denver Compassion & Choices, said that one "ought not be confused with the choice of aid in dying" and the recent cases involving Final Exit Network.
Compassion & Choices has strenuously fought against using the term "suicide" - to the extent of excising the word from legislation passed in Washington state. Polling showed that it was found to be upsetting to people.
But even within the ranks of Compassion & Choices, there seems to be confusion on what they will allow. Barbara Coombs Lee, national president for the group, stated that lawmakers should consider changes to allow those suffering with illnesses to "die gracefully," not allowing them to "feel ashamed for wanting a graceful exit at the end of their valiant fight," she said.
Derek Humphry believes that the Final Exit Network four will be acquitted, "no matter how long and how much it takes," which will eventually lead to "defining the messy laws on assisted suicide throughout America."