Not Dead Yet comments on Final Exit Network

Stephen Drake, the research analyst from Not Dead Yet has pointed out a very important fact about the Final Exit Network in his latest blog comment. He rightfully points out that the media has whitewashed the focus that the Final Exit Network has on facilitating the suicides of the chronically ill, people with disabilities and elderly people who are not terminally ill.

The following is the text of the Blog commentary by Stephen Drake yesterday, Monday, March 2, 2009

Newest AJC Article on Final Exit Network - NDY Quoted

I was beginning to worry that the definition of FEN and its work of encouraging and facilitating suicides of chronically ill, disabled and elderly people was being magically rewritten. The alternate story that has been appearing is that they're a helpful bunch of people who aid "terminally ill" individuals. They're "forced" to do this because there are no "helpful" laws like the ones in Oregon and Washington State. I'll write more about that tomorrow.

The latest from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution steers some of the discourse on track.

OK, I'm biased. I'm quoted. OTOH, tomorrow I'll write some pretty nasty things about another article that I'm quoted in, so simple inclusion of me or anyone else from NDY doesn't earn a free pass in the criticism department.

Here's the latest article, about the Baltimore arrestees turning themselves in:

All four are accused of assisting a non-terminal cancer patient, John Celmer, 58, of Cumming, to kill himself by inhaling helium.

The closing words are mine:

Stephen Drake, with Not Dead Yet, an advocacy group that is against assisted suicide, said Final Exit Network members are “really scary people.”

“These are people who by their own admission sit and help plan the deaths of stranger after stranger,” Drake said.

Link to the Not Dead Yet Commentary:
http://notdeadyetnewscommentary.blogspot.com/2009/03/newest-ajc-article-on-final-exit.html