Euthanasia device
Encyclopedia
A euthanasia device is a machine engineered to allow an individual to die quickly with minimal pain. The most common devices are those designed to help terminally ill people die by voluntary euthanasia
or assisted suicide
without prolonged pain
. They may be operated by a second party, such as a physician
, or by the person wishing to die. There is an ongoing debate on the ethics
of euthanasia and the use of euthanasia devices.
, this device involved an individual pushing a button that released drugs or chemicals that would end his or her own life. Two deaths were assisted by means of this device, which delivered the euthanizing drugs mechanically through an IV
. Kevorkian called it a "Thanatron" or death machine (see Thanatos
).
It had three canisters or bottles mounted on a metal frame, about 6 inches (152.4 mm) wide by 18 inches (457.2 mm) high. Each bottle had a syringe
that connected to a single IV line in the person's arm. The first bottle contained ordinary saline
, or salt water. Another contained a sleep-inducing barbiturate
called sodium thiopental
, and the third a lethal mixture of potassium chloride
, which immediately stopped the heart, and pancuronium bromide, a muscle relaxant to prevent spasms during the dying process. (These are the three drugs administered in the lethal injection
execution protocol, but in the execution protocol, the pancuronium bromide is administered before the potassium chloride.)
mask fed by a canister of carbon monoxide
which was called "Mercitron" (mercy machine). This became necessary because Kevorkian's medical license had been revoked after the first two deaths, and he could no longer have legal access to the substances required for the "Thanatron". It was a rudimentary device consisting of a canister of carbon monoxide
attached to a face mask with a tube. A valve must be released to start the gas flowing. Depending on the person's disability, a makeshift handle may be attached to the valve to make it easier to turn. Or, with the valve in the "open" position, a clip or clothespin could be clamped on the tubing. Pulling it off allows the gas to flow. By Kevorkian's estimates, this method took 10 minutes or longer. Sometimes he encouraged people to take sedatives or muscle relaxants to keep them calm as they breathed deeply of the gas.
Carbon monoxide is hazardous to others who may discover the body (family, medical workers, police).
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The "Deliverance Machine" was invented by Philip Nitschke
. It consisted of a notebook computer and software titled "Deliverance", which asks the patient a series of questions, and automatically administers a lethal injection
of barbiturate
s if the correct answers are made. In an interview, Dr. Nitschke named several reasons why he developed the machine. Even if it would have been legally possible for a doctor to administer a lethal injection, he preferred that the patient initiate the process. The machine also allowed a doctor to leave the patient with the family when the button was pushed.
The machine was used legally under the Northern Territory
's Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995, which was later overturned.
euthanasia device was invented by Dr Philip Nitschke
in 2008. It used an ordinary barbecue
gas bottle filled with nitrogen
, a plastic suicide bag
, and some plastic tubing with one end attached to the gas canister and the other fixed inside the bag by a tie held by adhesive tape. In December 2008, Nitschke released details of the euthanasia device to the media. His new device/method is a modification of the "Exit Bag plus helium" method described in The Peaceful Pill Handbook
. Instead of using a pre-packaged disposable cylinder of helium, he suggested filling purchased empty LPG cylinders (rated at 3300 kPa
) with compressed nitrogen and then regulating this with a jet assembly to give a flow of around 10 litres per minute into the standard plastic "Exit Bag". This equipment has some small advantages over the helium method:
Nitschke called it "flawless" and "undetectable", saying the new process uses ordinary household products available from hardware stores. Inhaling the pure nitrogen, patients lose consciousness immediately (in approximately 12 seconds) and die a few minutes later.
Nitschke said: "So it's extremely quick and there are no drugs. Importantly this doesn't fail – it's reliable, peaceful, available and with the additional benefit of undetectability." However, Nitschke commented in 2010 that if helium is used, new autopsy
tests can detect it.
The principle behind the effectiveness of the device is oxygen
deprivation that leads to hypoxia
, asphyxia
and death within minutes. Deprivation of oxygen in the presence of carbon dioxide
creates panic and a sense of suffocation
(the hypercapnic
alarm response), and struggling even when unconscious, whereas anoxia in the presence of an inert gas
, like nitrogen
, helium
or argon
, does not. Nitrogen (N2) weighs 28 g/mol
, the same as air, whereas carbon dioxide (CO2) weighs 44 g/mol
, and will tend to fall out of the bag.
The basic principle of autoeuthanasia by anoxia was first described in the book Final Exit
by Derek Humphry
in 1991, although the newer technique that uses inert gases to reduce time taken to die to about five minutes was first discussed in the third edition of Humphry's book. The original methodology was devised, using helium, by the NuTech group — engineers, physicians, divers and others, a small number of people first assembled in 1998 under the leadership of John Hofsess, Philip Nitschke, and Derek Humphry. Nitschke's innovation is the use of a hardware store barbecue
gas canister, although in his book The Peaceful Pill eHandbook, he mentions the use of disposable helium canisters, used for inflating party balloons.
Close contact with an enclosed inert gas is lethal because it flushes oxygen from the body, but released into the open air, it quickly disperses, and is safe for others. It is neither flammable nor explosive. Close contact with the gas is achieved in Humphry's book by enclosing the head in a suicide bag
— a strong, clear plastic bag of dimensions 22 inches (558.8 mm) by 36 inches (914.4 mm), secured around the neck by a strap, or by using a product available from the Canadian Right to Die Society called the "EXIT bag", which has a sewn-in Velcro
collar and fastened-in, flexible plastic tubing. In all cases, the inert gas is fed into the bag by plastic tubing.
Suicides using this method are well documented in the literature. In the study Asphyxial suicide with helium and a plastic bag (Ogden et al.), the authors describe the following case history:
Dr Nitschke said the suicide device will prolong the lives of the terminally ill by making them feel in control of their future. "That idea of giving people access to a means of feeling that they're back in control of this issue is actually a way of prolonging life. It may seem paradoxical, but what we find is when people feel that they're back in control, they're less likely to do desperate things in desperate ways and people are always doing desperate things in desperate ways and ending their lives."
Voluntary euthanasia
Voluntary euthanasia refers to the practice of ending a life in a painless manner...
or assisted suicide
Assisted suicide
Assisted suicide is the common term for actions by which an individual helps another person voluntarily bring about his or her own death. "Assistance" may mean providing one with the means to end one's own life, but may extend to other actions. It differs to euthanasia where another person ends...
without prolonged pain
Pain
Pain is an unpleasant sensation often caused by intense or damaging stimuli such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting iodine on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone."...
. They may be operated by a second party, such as a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, or by the person wishing to die. There is an ongoing debate on the ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
of euthanasia and the use of euthanasia devices.
Thanatron
Invented by Dr Jack KevorkianJack Kevorkian
Jacob "Jack" Kevorkian , commonly known as "Dr. Death", was an American pathologist, euthanasia activist, painter, composer and instrumentalist. He is best known for publicly championing a terminal patient's right to die via physician-assisted suicide; he said he assisted at least 130 patients to...
, this device involved an individual pushing a button that released drugs or chemicals that would end his or her own life. Two deaths were assisted by means of this device, which delivered the euthanizing drugs mechanically through an IV
Intravenous therapy
Intravenous therapy or IV therapy is the infusion of liquid substances directly into a vein. The word intravenous simply means "within a vein". Therapies administered intravenously are often called specialty pharmaceuticals...
. Kevorkian called it a "Thanatron" or death machine (see Thanatos
Thanatos
In Greek mythology, Thanatos was the daemon personification of death. He was a minor figure in Greek mythology, often referred to but rarely appearing in person...
).
It had three canisters or bottles mounted on a metal frame, about 6 inches (152.4 mm) wide by 18 inches (457.2 mm) high. Each bottle had a syringe
Syringe
A syringe is a simple pump consisting of a plunger that fits tightly in a tube. The plunger can be pulled and pushed along inside a cylindrical tube , allowing the syringe to take in and expel a liquid or gas through an orifice at the open end of the tube...
that connected to a single IV line in the person's arm. The first bottle contained ordinary saline
Saline (medicine)
In medicine, saline is a general term referring to a sterile solution of sodium chloride in water but is only sterile when it is to be placed intravenously, otherwise, a saline solution is a salt water solution...
, or salt water. Another contained a sleep-inducing barbiturate
Barbiturate
Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and can therefore produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia. They are also effective as anxiolytics, as hypnotics, and as anticonvulsants...
called sodium thiopental
Sodium thiopental
Sodium thiopental, better known as Sodium Pentothal , thiopental, thiopentone sodium, or Trapanal , is a rapid-onset short-acting barbiturate general anaesthetic...
, and the third a lethal mixture of potassium chloride
Potassium chloride
The chemical compound potassium chloride is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. In its pure state, it is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance, with a crystal structure that cleaves easily in three directions. Potassium chloride crystals are...
, which immediately stopped the heart, and pancuronium bromide, a muscle relaxant to prevent spasms during the dying process. (These are the three drugs administered in the lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
execution protocol, but in the execution protocol, the pancuronium bromide is administered before the potassium chloride.)
- Kevorkian or an assistant begins the saline solution flow.
- The person who wants to die must deliver the barbiturates by throwing a switch, pushing a button or pulling a string.
- After that, either a timer or a mechanical device triggered by the person's falling arm as the drugs take effect starts the lethal drug flowing. The idea is for the deadly chemicals to enter the bloodstream only after the person is asleep. DeathDeathDeath is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
usually occurred within two minutes.
Mercitron
Kevorkian assisted others with a device that employed a gasGas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
mask fed by a canister of carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
which was called "Mercitron" (mercy machine). This became necessary because Kevorkian's medical license had been revoked after the first two deaths, and he could no longer have legal access to the substances required for the "Thanatron". It was a rudimentary device consisting of a canister of carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
attached to a face mask with a tube. A valve must be released to start the gas flowing. Depending on the person's disability, a makeshift handle may be attached to the valve to make it easier to turn. Or, with the valve in the "open" position, a clip or clothespin could be clamped on the tubing. Pulling it off allows the gas to flow. By Kevorkian's estimates, this method took 10 minutes or longer. Sometimes he encouraged people to take sedatives or muscle relaxants to keep them calm as they breathed deeply of the gas.
Carbon monoxide is hazardous to others who may discover the body (family, medical workers, police).
Deliverance machine
Philip Nitschke
Dr. Philip Nitschke is an Australian medical doctor, humanist, author and founder and director of the pro-euthanasia group Exit International. He campaigned successfully to have a legal euthanasia law passed in Australia's Northern Territory and assisted four people in ending their lives before...
. It consisted of a notebook computer and software titled "Deliverance", which asks the patient a series of questions, and automatically administers a lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
of barbiturate
Barbiturate
Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and can therefore produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia. They are also effective as anxiolytics, as hypnotics, and as anticonvulsants...
s if the correct answers are made. In an interview, Dr. Nitschke named several reasons why he developed the machine. Even if it would have been legally possible for a doctor to administer a lethal injection, he preferred that the patient initiate the process. The machine also allowed a doctor to leave the patient with the family when the button was pushed.
The machine was used legally under the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
's Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995, which was later overturned.
Exit's euthanasia device
The Exit InternationalEXIT (Australia)
Exit International, is a pro-euthanasia group founded by Dr. Philip Nitschke. It was previously known as the Voluntary Euthanasia Research Foundation...
euthanasia device was invented by Dr Philip Nitschke
Philip Nitschke
Dr. Philip Nitschke is an Australian medical doctor, humanist, author and founder and director of the pro-euthanasia group Exit International. He campaigned successfully to have a legal euthanasia law passed in Australia's Northern Territory and assisted four people in ending their lives before...
in 2008. It used an ordinary barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
gas bottle filled with nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
, a plastic suicide bag
Suicide bag
A suicide bag, also known as an exit bag, is a device consisting of a large plastic bag with a drawcord used to commit suicide. It is usually used in conjunction with an inert gas like helium or nitrogen, which prevents the panic, sense of suffocation and struggling during unconsciousness ...
, and some plastic tubing with one end attached to the gas canister and the other fixed inside the bag by a tie held by adhesive tape. In December 2008, Nitschke released details of the euthanasia device to the media. His new device/method is a modification of the "Exit Bag plus helium" method described in The Peaceful Pill Handbook
The Peaceful Pill Handbook
The Peaceful Pill Handbook is a controversial book giving instructions on how to perform euthanasia. It was originally published in the U.S. in 2007 and was written by the Australian doctors Philip Nitschke and Fiona Stewart....
. Instead of using a pre-packaged disposable cylinder of helium, he suggested filling purchased empty LPG cylinders (rated at 3300 kPa
KPA
KPA may refer to:* Kenya Ports Authority* Kiln phosphoric acid, a dry process to produce phosphoric acid at high temperature in a kiln* Kilopascal , a unit of pressure* Known-plaintext attack, a method of cryptanalysis* Korean People's Army...
) with compressed nitrogen and then regulating this with a jet assembly to give a flow of around 10 litres per minute into the standard plastic "Exit Bag". This equipment has some small advantages over the helium method:
- Larger amounts of nitrogen are available and flow rates last longer.
- The gas is more physiologicalPhysiologyPhysiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
, with no chance of adverse reaction (helium is reported to cause some twitching during death); - If there is any leakage in the period of storage of the cylinder, it can be topped up at any time to the recommended 400 pound per square inches (2,757.9 kPa). The helium party balloon cylinders cannot be refilled and, if they leak over time, must be discarded.
Nitschke called it "flawless" and "undetectable", saying the new process uses ordinary household products available from hardware stores. Inhaling the pure nitrogen, patients lose consciousness immediately (in approximately 12 seconds) and die a few minutes later.
Nitschke said: "So it's extremely quick and there are no drugs. Importantly this doesn't fail – it's reliable, peaceful, available and with the additional benefit of undetectability." However, Nitschke commented in 2010 that if helium is used, new autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
tests can detect it.
The principle behind the effectiveness of the device is oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
deprivation that leads to hypoxia
Hypoxia (medical)
Hypoxia, or hypoxiation, is a pathological condition in which the body as a whole or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. Variations in arterial oxygen concentrations can be part of the normal physiology, for example, during strenuous physical exercise...
, asphyxia
Asphyxia
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body that arises from being unable to breathe normally. An example of asphyxia is choking. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which primarily affects the tissues and organs...
and death within minutes. Deprivation of oxygen in the presence of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
creates panic and a sense of suffocation
Suffocation
Suffocation is the process of Asphyxia.Suffocation may also refer to:* Suffocation , an American death metal band* "Suffocation", a song on Morbid Angel's debut album, Altars of Madness...
(the hypercapnic
Hypercapnia
Hypercapnia or hypercapnea , also known as hypercarbia, is a condition where there is too much carbon dioxide in the blood...
alarm response), and struggling even when unconscious, whereas anoxia in the presence of an inert gas
Inert gas
An inert gas is a non-reactive gas used during chemical synthesis, chemical analysis, or preservation of reactive materials. Inert gases are selected for specific settings for which they are functionally inert since the cost of the gas and the cost of purifying the gas are usually a consideration...
, like nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
, helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
or argon
Argon
Argon is a chemical element represented by the symbol Ar. Argon has atomic number 18 and is the third element in group 18 of the periodic table . Argon is the third most common gas in the Earth's atmosphere, at 0.93%, making it more common than carbon dioxide...
, does not. Nitrogen (N2) weighs 28 g/mol
Molar mass
Molar mass, symbol M, is a physical property of a given substance , namely its mass per amount of substance. The base SI unit for mass is the kilogram and that for amount of substance is the mole. Thus, the derived unit for molar mass is kg/mol...
, the same as air, whereas carbon dioxide (CO2) weighs 44 g/mol
Molar mass
Molar mass, symbol M, is a physical property of a given substance , namely its mass per amount of substance. The base SI unit for mass is the kilogram and that for amount of substance is the mole. Thus, the derived unit for molar mass is kg/mol...
, and will tend to fall out of the bag.
The basic principle of autoeuthanasia by anoxia was first described in the book Final Exit
Final Exit
Final Exit: The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide for the Dying is a controversial 1992 book by Derek Humphry, founder of the Hemlock Society in California and past president of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies....
by Derek Humphry
Derek Humphry
Derek Humphry is a British-born American journalist, author and principal founder in 1980 of the Hemlock Society USA and past president of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies, both of which support the notion of decriminalisation of voluntary euthanasia...
in 1991, although the newer technique that uses inert gases to reduce time taken to die to about five minutes was first discussed in the third edition of Humphry's book. The original methodology was devised, using helium, by the NuTech group — engineers, physicians, divers and others, a small number of people first assembled in 1998 under the leadership of John Hofsess, Philip Nitschke, and Derek Humphry. Nitschke's innovation is the use of a hardware store barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
gas canister, although in his book The Peaceful Pill eHandbook, he mentions the use of disposable helium canisters, used for inflating party balloons.
Close contact with an enclosed inert gas is lethal because it flushes oxygen from the body, but released into the open air, it quickly disperses, and is safe for others. It is neither flammable nor explosive. Close contact with the gas is achieved in Humphry's book by enclosing the head in a suicide bag
Suicide bag
A suicide bag, also known as an exit bag, is a device consisting of a large plastic bag with a drawcord used to commit suicide. It is usually used in conjunction with an inert gas like helium or nitrogen, which prevents the panic, sense of suffocation and struggling during unconsciousness ...
— a strong, clear plastic bag of dimensions 22 inches (558.8 mm) by 36 inches (914.4 mm), secured around the neck by a strap, or by using a product available from the Canadian Right to Die Society called the "EXIT bag", which has a sewn-in Velcro
Velcro
Velcro is the brand name of the first commercially marketed fabric hook-and-loop fastener, invented in 1948 by the Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral...
collar and fastened-in, flexible plastic tubing. In all cases, the inert gas is fed into the bag by plastic tubing.
Suicides using this method are well documented in the literature. In the study Asphyxial suicide with helium and a plastic bag (Ogden et al.), the authors describe the following case history:
CASE REPORT
This death occurred in September 2000, in South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. The deceased was a 60-year-old white woman with a diagnosis of adenoid cystic carcinomaAdenoid cystic carcinomaAdenoid cystic cancer is a rare type of cancer that can exist in many different body sites. It most often occurs in the areas of the head and neck, in particular the salivary glands; but has also been reported in the breast, lacrimal gland of the eye, lung, brain, bartholin gland, trachea, and...
that had spread to the eye, causing double vision. ... Her husband discovered her on the living room floor approximately 2 hours after she was last seen alive. She wore a surgical mask over her face, and a clear plastic bag was secured over her head. ... Next to her body was an industrial refillable tank labeled “heliumHeliumHelium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
.” A clear plastic hose was attached to the tank valve and led to the plastic bag. Also at the scene were the book Final ExitFinal ExitFinal Exit: The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide for the Dying is a controversial 1992 book by Derek Humphry, founder of the Hemlock Society in California and past president of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies....
, Final Exit: The Video, and the Spring 2000 Hemlock SocietyHemlock SocietyThe Hemlock Society USA was a national right-to-die organization founded in Santa Monica, California by Derek Humphry in 1980. Its primary missions included providing information to dying persons and supporting legislation permitting physician-assisted suicide. In 1992, following the publication of...
Newsletter, which included an article on helium and plastic bag suicide. The decedent appeared to have diligently followed the instructions in these materials. ... The deceased’s skin color was unremarkable, and there were no external signs of poisoning. Toxicologic examination of blood and urine for therapeutic and abused substances did not reveal data of significance .... When a person breathes inside a plastic bag filled with helium, unconsciousness will occur almost immediately, and death will ensue in minutes.
Dr Nitschke said the suicide device will prolong the lives of the terminally ill by making them feel in control of their future. "That idea of giving people access to a means of feeling that they're back in control of this issue is actually a way of prolonging life. It may seem paradoxical, but what we find is when people feel that they're back in control, they're less likely to do desperate things in desperate ways and people are always doing desperate things in desperate ways and ending their lives."
External links
- DIY euthanasia - Death with Dignity for the Terminally Ill (archive, 7z7z7z is a compressed archive file format that supports several different data compression, encryption and pre-processing algorithms. The 7z format initially appeared as implemented by the 7-Zip archiver. The 7-Zip program is publicly available under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public...
-version) - PBS Frontline: The Thanatron