Concerned with the growth of the radical assisted suicide groups.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The assisted suicide lobby have a more extreme groups that are lobbying for suicide on demand. There are groups that provide ordering information for suicide substances and the "last will pill", there are groups that promote the concept of the "completed life" for people who are not sick but who have given up on living, and there are groups that sell books and provide information for suicide on demand.

Politically, the more extreme element within the assisted suicide lobby enable the "mainstream" groups to appear moderate.

All of these groups are intertwined with the euthanasia and assisted suicide lobby and the more radical groups see themselves as the natural outcome or final outcome for euthanasia and assisted suicide laws.

Why should you be concerned?

I have a close friend who is living with suicidal ideation. I am concerned that one day he will stumble onto one of the radical suicide promoting websites. The difficulty with suicidal ideation is that it doesn't go away. People resist the idea of suicide but once the thought that dying is better than living is firmly implanted into a person's thoughts, it seems to constantly return and it sometimes leads to a tragic end.

Ximena Knol

For instance, Randy Knol, the father of Ximena, who died by suicide when she was only 19 wrote the following about the death of his daughter:

Ximena used the “Substance X” as promoted by a Dutch radical group that came in the news 6 months prior to her death. On a television news show FWC came out in a poorly acted report that it was a substance that was painless, fast and certain. They made the idea of death so easy, however the promise they made was a big lie, it’s one of the most inhumane ways of ending your life. With “substance X” death is in fact inhumane. Science cases report about an agonizing five-day struggle to die, where no antidote is available.

Three weeks after Ximena died we warned against this substance through the media with a news article starting a wave of attention. We told our horrific story for the first time in a Late night talk show. I called the FWC radicals “end-of-life-terrorists”, which was apparently a good description because it made the headlines in many newspapers the next day.

...They are so radical, they had the plan that after a six month membership you could acquire the substance, no consulting no questions asked.

The Cooperatie Laatste Wil promotes "substance X" which is the suicide powder that caused Ximena's death.

Philip Nitschke has become a notorious and wealthy promoter of suicide through the sale of his books and devices. He has become famous with the creation of his "suicide pod" that is attractively designed to gain the attention of the media.

Nitshcke is known for his support for suicide on demand. He once told a reporter that even troubled teens should have access to the "peaceful pill". Nitschke believes that anyone should have access to an inexpensive suicide pill.

In America, a group called The Completed Life Initiative promotes suicide, assisted suicide and euthanasia. This group believes that people should be given the means to end their life when they decide that their life is complete. They provide information and advice to people who would not "qualify" for assisted suicide but who are seeking suicide. The Completed Life podcasts interview people who are planning to die by suicide. Even though the podcasts offer warnings for people who are suicidal, the instructions within the interview may lead a person with suicidal ideation to copy the suicide death.

What would happen if my friend who lives with suicidal ideation starts to listen to these podcasts?

More reasons to be concerned.

The assisted suicide lobby sells the legalization of assisted suicide by claiming that "safeguards" will prevent people who are not otherwise dying or living with mental illness, from dying by assisted suicide.

First, assisted suicide law "safeguards" are written in an imprecise manner to enable a wide interpretation of the law.

Second, in states that have legalized assisted suicide, the assisted suicide lobby are now working to eliminate the original "safeguards" in the law.

The final goal for the assisted suicide lobby is suicide on demand. For those who question my statement go to list of organizations that are members of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies website. You will notice that the extreme groups are recognized as members of the World Federation

We are concerned that the "mainstream" assisted suicide lobby groups are working to achieve cultural change while the more radical groups are working on the "final solution".