Author Archives: prc

The 17-count indictment charges officials of the Final Exit Network.  “[I]t is an effort to bring to justice a corporation and several of its officers and volunteers who we are alleging advised, encouraged or assisted Doreen Dunn in the taking … Continue reading →

New figures show that more and more Swiss seniors are taking advantage of assisted suicide even when they do not suffer from any terminal diseases. The Local “World-weary Swiss seniors seek suicide help” May 9, 2012 View

The law applies to the terminally ill as well as patients suffering from irreversible and incurable illness or injury, and says they have the right to refuse surgical procedures, hydration and nutrition, reanimation and life-support systems. Rather than seek a … Continue reading →

A Santa Fe woman with advanced uterine cancer said she is joining two doctors in their challenge against a decades-old New Mexico law. Lawyers on behalf of Aja Riggs, 48, intend to argue that the law does not legally prohibit … Continue reading →

After consulting with the nonprofit Final Exit Network, she used helium and a plastic bag to end her life on the couch of her home in Apple Valley, Minn.  Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom will present evidence to a grand … Continue reading →

The Massachusetts proposal attempts to mitigate coercion by doctors, health insurance companies, and family members, but this will always be a concern when the state dispenses the power to end life…. His wife took him for a last Heath Bar … Continue reading →

Dan Gotlin, the lawyer for Kenneth Minor who was convicted of murder in the death of Jeffrey Locker, is planning to appeal Minor’s sentence by making a robust case for assisted suicide.  Gotlin claims that if Locker was intent on … Continue reading →

The landmark decision is the first in which a judge at the Court of Protection, the division of the High Court which rules on life-and-death medical decisions, has approved a contested living will which calls for the death of a … Continue reading →

Washington post gives President Obama two Pinocchios — which means creating “A false, misleading impression by playing with words and using legalistic language what means little to ordinary people” — for his comments about the pending Supreme Court decision. Washington … Continue reading →

What do hospitals charge to remove an appendix? The startling answer is that it could be the same as the price of a refrigerator — or a house. It’s a common, straightforward operation, so you might expect charges to be … Continue reading →

A group of Hawaii physicians is offering to write lethal prescriptions for terminally ill patients in a bid to test whether doctor-assisted suicide is allowed under state law. American Medical News “5 Hawaii doctors offer assisted suicide to terminally ill … Continue reading →

Murder-suicides are fairly common in Oregon. Between 2003 and 2011, 183 people died in 81 events, according to Oregon Public Health Division statistics. Washington Post “Murder-suicide desperation prompts soul-searching in Oregon” April 17, 2012 View

The goal of the Campaign for the Legalisation of Assisted Suicide is not just to allow Irish people who wish to avail themselves of assisted suicide to travel to Switzerland, where it is legal, but also to change the law … Continue reading →

Dr. Aroop Mangalik and his colleague, Dr. Katherine Morris, are part of a lawsuit filed in District Court requesting clarification of a state law.  The statute on the books makes it a fourth degree felony to help someone take his … Continue reading →

The 11-18 vote follows passionate debate over merits, protocol. Spectators witnessed several moments of political theater when Sen. Dick Sears questioned Sen. Hinda Miller who had pressed for the debate, asking her to explain legal and ethical considerations of the … Continue reading →

The long-proposed “death with dignity” bill will have to wait another year to see if Vermont legislators support or oppose it. Senators have proposed the bill for the past 10 years. Vermont Digger “Death with dignity bill falls on Senate … Continue reading →

The question is whether or not the amendment will be considered germane to the tanning bill.  Miller says since tanning beds are responsible for the development of certain types of cancer, the connection is definitely there.  If backers are not … Continue reading →

Senator Hinda Miller, a Chittenden County Democrat who sponsored the amendment, argued it is germane because both bills are related to cancer. The tanning bed bill is designed to prevent it, and physician-assisted suicide would be used by people dying … Continue reading →

Right to die legislation  has been resurrected in Montpelier — but maybe not for long. WCAX News “Right to die legislation resurrected in Vt” April 10, 2012 View

On Tuesday the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare tacked it on as a last-minute amendment to a bill prohibiting minors from using tanning beds. If Lt. Gov. Phil Scott and Senate Secretary John Bloomer deem the amendment not germane, … Continue reading →

Idaho Governor Butch Otter has signed into law a bill that aims to ensure Idaho patients’ end-of-life treat decisions are respected by doctors in all instances. The legislation bars medical personnel from denying life-prolonging procedures to patients who have requested … Continue reading →

A bizarre aspect of these episodes is that reporters, commentators or the killers themselves frequently speak of them as “loving” acts. Whatever the reasons, even if we have compassion for the killer, surely we should have as much, if not … Continue reading →

Washington Post gives President Obama two Pinocchios — which means creating “a false, misleading impression by playing with words in his comments about the pending Supreme Court decision. Washington Post “Obama’s selective memory of Supreme Court history” April 8, 2012 … Continue reading →

Letters to the editor discussing the murder-suicide by Charles Snelling whose wife had Alzheimer’s disease. New York Times “A Caregiver’s Decision to End Two Lives” April 8, 2012 View

An administrative court in Berlin has given German doctors the power to use their own judgment in cases involving terminally ill patients who want to die.  The court lifted a physician’s association ban on assisted suicide… United Press International “German … Continue reading →