Surprise! Compassion & Choices Weighs in on Arizona Final Exit Network Trial Outcome

…wrong. Oops. I guess I was mistaken. Coombs Lee did say something of importance – her words invite us to believe that it is the law, rather than the actions of FEN members, that was responsible for Jana Van Voorhis’s death. I wonder what she’ll say if FEN activities in Oregon or Washington state come to light. Whose fault will the deaths the group facilitates be then? –Stephen Drake…

Hawaii – Robert Yagi Dead, and Assisted Suicide Advocates Continue to Exploit the Tragedy

…I’m really stumped as to how some kind of “right to die” law would be relevant here. There is no evidence that Yagi’s wife wanted to be killed or to kill herself. If she didn’t initiate a discussion with her doctor about committing suicide, then how would it come up? Do van der Voort and others want a law in which doctors themselves bring up the issue of suicide? Or maybe they’re thinking of a protective element in an assisted suicide statute – r…

Robin Williams and the Hypocrisy of Suicide Prevention Organizations

…but deeply distressed over his post-surgery appearance. The death of Jana Van Voorhis – a woman without serious physical illness but a history of emotional issues – has also received a great deal of attention. Favorable profiles of FEN and its members have appeared in Time magazine and in the Washington Post. A NY Times health columnist recommended FEN as a resource for nonterminally ill people who want to kill themselves. (FEN openly advocates t…

NJ: “Suicide Prevention Expert” Judith Springer Says Final Exit Network OK as Long as it Just Helps “Elderly Folks”

…inst their fellow FEN members. The Arizona case involves the death of Jana Van Voorhis, a woman who had no serious physical illnesses, but had a long history of emotional troubles. FEN’s involvement in her death contradicts the claims being made in current coverage that the organization engages in some sort of psychological screening. The press has also gone along – part way – with FEN’s description of their opponents – people with religious motiv…

Minnesota: Dakota Grand Jury Convening This Week to Consider Charges Against Members of Final Exit Network

…fter surgery. Massey and Egbert were defendants in the case involving Jana Van Voorhis, a woman with no serious physical problems but who had a long history of emotional and psychological issues. The reporter is pretty careful in most cases in this story to qualify statements about FEN practices with wording such as “the website states.” That’s important because not all of what the FEN website claims is true. Take this, for example, from the lates…