Bright pink Not Dead Yet T-shirts already filled the wide sidewalk in front of the Embassy Suites when I arrived the morning of Day 1 of the protests. My first assignment was to engage conference attendees who were looking for conversation. I met Janis Landis, vice president of Final Exit Network, the American host group, […]
The sudden emergence of suicide prevention organizations and their representatives in the media responding to the death of Robin Williams has been mind-blowingly outrageous to me – I track the suicide coverage – assisted and non-assisted – of old, ill and disabled people regularly. It’s part of my job. A near-constant in reading and watching […]
I have to preface this article with an admission. I had a lot to do with how this article turned out. Columnist Tim Steller called Diane Coleman Friday (Nov 1) afternoon wanting to interview her about an upcoming visit to the area by Derek Humphry, who would apparently be talking about assisted suicide for people […]
Right now, this latest story involving the Final Exit Network (FEN) is getting only local coverage, but it could become a national story, depending on the outcome. From the story, by reporter Laura Adelmann: Apple Valley woman may have killed herself using information from Final Exit Network In a March 26 letter to a defense […]
Not exactly a big surprise, but Compassion and Choices (aka “Conflation & Con Jobs“) has weighed in on the disappointing outcome of the trial of Final Exit Network (FEN) members in Arizona. I am cynical enough to believe that reporters who use this press release from the organization are too shallow, lazy or generally lacking […]
Disappointing, but not entirely unexpected news from Arizona: Lawrence Egbert, 83, an anesthesiologist from Baltimore, was found not guilty of conspiracy to commit manslaughter by aiding suicide in the April 2007 death of Jana Van Voorhis, 58. But the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision as to whether Franklin Langsner, 86, a retired […]
The long-awaited trial of two members of the Final Exit Network (FEN) relating to their roles in the death of Jana Van Voorhis is all but over – it’s all in the hands of the jury now after a roughly week-long trial at the Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona. The only ongoing press coverage […]
The Final Exit Network (FEN) has a billboard up in New Jersey now. It has received a fair amount of coverage – and all of it has been superficial and inaccurate. Not one article has mentioned the criminal charges FEN members face in Georgia and New Jersey, let alone the fact that two FEN members […]
I missed this when the news hit yesterday, but things aren’t looking great for the members of the Final Exit Network (FEN). Here’s the gist of the news, from the second paragraph of the story from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: An indictment returned Tuesday charges the Final Exit Network along with co-founder Thomas “Ted” Goodwin, 64, […]
This could be very important news. Wye Hale-Rowe, a long time assisted suicide activist and advocate, has entered a guilty plea in Arizona to a charge of “facilitation to commit manslaughter.” The longest and most detailed coverage of Hale-Rowe’s plea is in the Phoenix New Times, an independent paper that originally broke the story of […]
