Assisted Suicide Ring Busted; Act Becomes Legal Today in Washington State

Four members of an elaborate assisted suicide ring run by Final Exit Network have been arrested in the death of a Georgia man. The group may have been involved in as many as 200 deaths, all outside of the law, and covering several states.

The group bases its suicide methods on a book authored by notorious euthanasia advocate, Derek Humphry. Humphry serves on the advisory board of Final Exit Network.

The ring was busted when an undercover agent infiltrated the group, posing as a man who wanted death as “relief” from his pancreatic cancer. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that “Two helium tanks were purchased, along with an ‘exit bag,’ or hood to be placed over the suicidal man’s head…”

Here’s the kicker — the one and only Jack Kevorkian has criticized the methods of the ring, even though he obviously agrees with their goal.

We wonder if the charges will stick and if these people will be fully prosecuted and go to jail.

In the meantime, today is a sad day in that the Washington State law legalizing assisted suicide goes into effect. The good news is that medical facilities and professionals all over the state are opting-out of participation. Stay tuned on this one as proponents of the law are insisting there should be no conscience rights — that the “right to die” trumps other concerns.

Oregon just released its 2008 report on the number of people killed via assisted suicide. 88 prescriptions for lethal drugs were written in 2008, compared to 85 in 2007 and 65 in 2006. 54 people used their lethal prescriptions in 2008. The main reasons — autonomy and dignity, not pain relief. Some believe these numbers are not accurate due to weak reporting requirements.

Wisconsin Right to Life is preparing for introduction of legislation to legalize assisted suicide in Wisconsin and will wage a vigorous fight so that Wisconsin does not become Oregon or Washington.

Barbara Lyons