Update: “Live-Streamed” Assisted Suicide A Hoax

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I wanted to report this earlier, but some health issues at home got in the way of a timelier post.  Last week, I wrote about billionaire Alki David’s plans to live-stream the assisted suicide/euthanasia of a Russian cancer patient.

Well, there was a broadcast.  But it was an elaborate hoax.

The story is at TechExclusive.net:

The live assisted suicide that was portrayed to be broadcasted live on BattleCam.com, and made international media, turned out to be a fake promotion stunt. Owner of BattleCam.com promised to the media that he was showing a live assisted suicide on his website. Was it real? NO. Did many believe it was? Yes.

The site received more than 150k people who were all watching to see the ‘live assisted suicide’.

The video cut in, and people believed it was real. 30 seconds in to the video people were thinking, this isn’t real!? 30 seconds later, people knew it was nothing more than a publiscity stunt.

Alki then had a short talk. He claims the man who was supposed to be the brain cancer patient was simply his Boat captain, the supposed wife of the patient was his house keeper, and the doctors were real. The location and setting of the prank we pre-recorded in Greece.

So, it appears that this really was just a publicity stunt.  I’m not sure, in terms of average traffic to the site, if 150,000 is an impressive result or not.

Let’s hope it’s less than Mr. David was hoping for.  He could always give it a try again – and for real this time.  Would it go over well with the BattleCam audience?

I only watched a “video tour” of the site.  That short video featured a young guy setting his hair on fire, apparently winning a 500 dollar “prize” for doing so.  Another man announced he was really drunk and then drove a staple through a body part that should really be treated a lot more gently.

I leave it to others to figure out how well a “live” suicide would go over with an audience to a site like that.

Breaking News: Billionaire Buys the Rights to Livestream Assisted Suicide of Cancer Patient

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This first got my attention earlier this week, when a single news item from Shockya.com showed up in my news feed, titled Assisted Suicide Will Be Broadcast Live on BattleCam:

Billionaire Alki David has paid the family of terminal brain cancer patient Nikolai Ivanisovich for the rights to stream his assisted suicide on BattleCam. The broadcast is slated to air on July 29, 2011 at 9 pm ET from a secret location in Eastern Europe.

Ivanisovich will receive a lethal injection, administered by a physician who has decided to remain anonymous. The doctor doesn’t want their identity revealed because of the “mitigating circumstance and likely media attention this event may generate.”

During an interview held in Russia, Ivanisovich said he’s “grateful to Mr. David and his team for making this possible. My family will be able to live in prosperity after I pass. May God bless Mr. David for his kindness and generosity.”

At the time, I was unable to find any other story verifying this and refrained from posting anything on it.

Yesterday, though, more stories started popping up, starting with a press release.  The release was quickly followed by stories on many entertainment/celebrity/gossip sites.  The story by AVN contained new information:

Though at first the idea of streaming a suicide live on such a platform might seem to be an exploitive and cynical use of new technology, as David tells it, the idea did not originate with him but with the Ivanisovich family.

“Originally, I was approached by one of my staff to help Nikolai out with medical expenses,” he told AVN. “I did so. We exchanged some emails and that was it. Once his health started to deteriorate his wife Uryna asked me to pay for his assisted end of life. It was her suggestion in fact that we stream it. So I agreed. Most of the great ideas on BattleCam come from the community on it.”

In an interview conducted in Russia, where he lives, Ivanisovish said he was “grateful to Mr. David and his team for making this possible. My family will be able to live in prosperity after I pass. May God bless Mr. David for his kindness and generosity.”

A little more from Mr. David at the end of the article:

In a sense, it seems the decision to stream the suicide engages three of David’s main interests. The initial impetus was to help a family in need, but it was also an opportunity to provide an “interesting spectacle” to viewers of BattleCam while fulfilling David’s conception of BattleCam as a “social experiment.”

The site, he said, “generates zero revenue, and even though I have developed some interesting ideas to commercialize it, it is really just my favorite toy. It is here forever. All the members of BattleCam make the site interesting and compelling and it really has grown into a fascinating community. Cynics would say [it is populated by] degenerates and low lifes, but I totally disagree. Not only do I know some very influential and even famous people who frequent BC incognito, but comments like that put me in the same group!”

Still, the all-too-human issues that surround the live streaming of an assisted suicide are not lost on David, who responded affirmatively when asked whether he would consider similar pleas that might come his way.

“I am open to similar requests, sure!” he told AVN.

Most of the news coverage and commentary gives at least a token nod as to whether or not streaming the live suicide of someone at a Swiss clinic is a good idea.

In retrospect, this is a perfectly natural development.  The American news magazine show 60 Minutes televised the taped killing of Thomas Youk via a series of injections given by Jack Kevorkian.  Recently, author and euthanasia campaigner Terry Pratchett produced a film that included  the death of Peter Smedley at a Swiss assisted suicide clinic.  It was aired on the BBC.

But these were taped, which I guess lacks the “thrill” of viewing such a thing live.

But I think the conversation about the “new ground” being broken is a less important issue than another groundbreaking issue.  Alki David is paying Nikolai Ivanisovich and his family for the right of live-streaming his suicide – enough so that Mr. Ivanisovich says his family “will be able to live in prosperity” after he dies.  Of course, that prosperity is contingent on his committing suicide – I suspect if Mr. Ivanisovich changed his mind, there would be no generous payment coming from Mr. Alki David.  No pressure there. (yes, that’s sarcasm)

According to Wikipedia, The 2011 Times Rich List named Mr. David 45th richest Man in the UK.  So when he says he would consider similar offers – to have people commit suicide in front of a live internet audience – we should take him seriously.

There’s also no reason to think that it will stop with terminally ill people killing themselves at clinics in Switzerland.  Frankly, I think the Battlecam folks are used to more spectacle than watching people get a needle in the arm and then nod off into a deep, albeit final, sleep.

I mean, really, what’s next?  Watching the live suicide of someone using the Oregon assisted suicide law?  How about paying someone to use a plastic bag and helium to commit suicide?  That’s a bit more spectacle.

When you come right down to it, why do any people who offer to have their suicides filmed have to be old or sick or disabled?  There are many people who would be willing to kill themselves if they could assure “prosperity” for their families.

Since suicide isn’t illegal, it could be that, even in the US, it isn’t illegal to pay someone who wants to commit suicide for the privilege of livestreaming their death.  Alki David could even use a sliding scale for payment.  Pill overdoses would get a generous amount, but those who volunteered to suicide through the use of a gun or by hanging would haul in the big bucks for their survivors.

Sound ludicrous?  Think on this.  Alki David is a billionaire who loves creating spectacles.  And as for the venue of BattleCam, part of the official definition of the site is “the live interactive reality television channel and community of FilmOn.com.”

If anyone was curious where reality shows could be headed, it would appear that Mr. David is prepared to lead the way.  –Stephen Drake

GREAT NEWS: Diane Coleman Transitioning to New Role as CEO of Not Dead Yet in August

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Diane Coleman Transitioning to New Role as CEO of Not Dead Yet in August

Most readers of this blog and anyone else who is familiar with NDY knows that Diane Coleman is the founder and President of the group.

On August 1, 2011, Diane Coleman will transition to a new role as the full time President/CEO Chief Executive Officer of Not Dead Yet. She has served as its volunteer President since its inception, while simultaneously working first as the Executive Director of Progress Center for Independent Living in Forest Park, Illinois, and then relocating to Rochester in 2008 to serve as the Assistant Director of Advocacy at the Center for Disability Rights (CDR). She became CDR’s Director of Advocacy in March 2010.

This is a day Diane has worked for and dreamed about since 1996. The need for full-time outside employment means that the major contributions she’s made in terms of analysis, writing, organizing and teaching have all been done in her “spare time.” Until recently, she – and I – figured that her full-time devotion to NDY would have to wait for her “retirement.” Thanks to new contributions, including a very significant one from a donor who has been a strong supporter for several years, that dream will become a reality on August 1st.

Until now, Not Dead Yet has been able to afford only one staff member – me – to write NDY’s blog, maintain a general online presence and handle the bulk of NDY-related media work. 

The complex politics of the assisted suicide issue placed serious limits on its financial resources. NDY’s initial concerns focused on the disability discrimination inherent in a society which labels some suicides as tragedies to be prevented, and others as “death with dignity” to be assisted, while denying people who are old, ill or disabled the long term services and supports they need. Proponents of assisted suicide have often claimed that their only opposition comes from “right wing religious, pro-life” groups, so NDY’s bylaws preclude it from accepting funding from such groups.

As health care policy has evolved, NDY has also addressed the issue of third party decisions to withhold life-sustaining medical treatment. “We’re especially concerned about health care providers who pressure people or even make unilateral decisions to withhold treatment,” says Diane. “It’s becoming increasingly urgent that we expand our efforts to educate and assist the disability rights community to weigh in on the public policy issues at stake. ‘Nothing about us without us’ is a matter of life and death in this context.” 

CDR, Diane’s employer for the last three years, has long supported NDY. For example, ten Rochester disability rights activists attended the trial of Jack Kevorkian that put him behind bars. Largely unknown to the general public, the majority of Kevorkian’s victims were people with non-terminal disabilities. Since 2008, CDR has provided NDY its headquarters office as well as technology and administrative supports, and that affiliation will continue after Diane moves into her new role as NDY’s President and CEO.

All this means that there are major changes with NDY starting August 1. Some changes will be apparent fairly soon. You’ll see a little more of Diane on this blog. (Careful readers might have noted that this entry doesn’t sound like my usual “voice” – I’m working from a document written by Diane.)

Diane brings experience, deep understanding, institutional knowledge and analytical skills related to assisted suicide, euthanasia and other public policy issues to NDY on a full-time basis – including on this blog. . 

At least for the first weeks, I’ll be trying to devote more of my time to expanding NDY’s online presence and look at ways to provide free materials and paid merchandise – things many people have been asking about. I’ll have more time to try to catch up from where I am in terms of the new social networking opportunities that present themselves for groups like NDY.

This is a very exciting time. Diane is getting to do the work she’s wanted to do – and that she is meant to do.

And I’ll still be here, too.  –Stephen Drake

Satire from The Onion: Social Security Reform Bill to Live Faster, Die Younger

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I love The Onion.  This is a pretty deadly picture of what bipartisan cooperation could look like in terms of tackling the budget deficit.  (Just kidding – really)

I apologize for the lack of captioning, but I couldn’t pass this up.  If there’s a good transcriptionist reading this, I promise you gratitude and credit if you want to transcribe this and send it to me.

WARNING – This is probably NSFW and not for people who don’t like obscenity.

And remember – it’s SATIRE.

Introductory blurb: The new law will remove restrictions on cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol as well as provide tax incentives for seniors who bungee jump off of cliffs.


Social Security Reform Bill Encourages Americans To Live Faster, Die Younger

Follow-up: Writer with ALS Who Penned “The Good Short Life” Considers Hanging Around Longer

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Just last week, this blog discussed the NY Times essay by Dudley Clendinen about living with ALS (aka amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and his plans for his death.  Clendinen’s definition of what constituted a meaningful life and his plans to end his life at a certain point moved columnist David Brooks to not only applaud Clendinen’s decision but to suggest that more “self-enclosed skin bags” should make early exits for the good of the economy.

That was last week.  It seems that someone is messing up Clendinen’s carefully imagined plans for his exit by dangling something that would make living longer worthwhile.  Maryland Morning reports:

Over the past few months, Dudley has been speaking with Tom Hall about living with ALS.  In this conversation, they talk about the op-ed Dudley wrote for the New York Times, in which he discusses the right to control his own exit — the right to die.

The article generated an enormous response–our own website received thousands of hits from all over the world, David Brooks referenced it in a column about the cost of health care, and Dudley received hundreds of letters–including one from a publishing house offering him a book deal.  “It’s a really big offer,” says Dudley.  “It may be the best deal a dying write has had since Ulysses S. Grant.”

Dudley says that makes several things possible that he hadn’t thought were options.  “I’ve been broke for 20 years, so the thought of actually being affluent for the last part of my life…is very appealing. I would love to pay my debts.   I have considerable debts.   It matters to me that I be able to pay them.  It would matter to [my daughter] Whitney because she wouldn’t have such a messy estate to deal with.”

Dudley says if he were to write the book, Whitney would help him as an assistant and contribute some writing to it.  “It would give me an opportunity to involve her in my death, in my passage, in a way that’s creative and positive and would leave something tangible, something that we produced together that she would be proud of.  It would be a bridge, I hope between now and later….that matters to me a lot.”

His choices are somewhat different now, and the scenario he once had planned out is now up in the air:

At this point, Dudley’s not sure how much longer he has to live.  Part of that will be determined by whether he consents to a tracheotomy.  “I don’t want to.  If I don’t, I might wink out this fall.  If I do, then I could prolong it.  It poses this kind of difficult personal, moral, and physical choice.  Is a book worth posing this possibility of my needing to consent to a surgery that would cut a hole in my throat to insert tubes so that I could stay alive long enough to write the book?  Which is not something I had planned to do.  The answer at this point is—maybe.”

I’m not going to attempt to predict what Mr. Clendinen will do.  The fact is, though, that he sees the possibility for doing something meaningful beyond a point in time when he previously thought that would be true.  I hope David Brooks takes note that some publishers think at least this “self-enclosed skin bag” still has valuable contributions to make. 

I won’t hold my breath waiting for that column, though. 

A series of interviews with Mr. Clendinen can be accessed and heard at this link.  –Stephen Drake