1. Right-to-die advocates develop 'peaceful pill' - CTV(Can) 2. Le projet "Peanut" - La Presse 3. Websites Promoting Suicide Should Be Outlawed, Some Say - CNS News 4. On this day - NT News 5. Euthanasia Radicals Show Their True Colors in Canada - Wesley Smith 6. Local's Kevorkian biography pushing for doctor's release - Clarkson News(US)
1. Right-to-die advocates develop 'peaceful pill'
Sat. Sep. 9 2006 CTV.ca News http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060909/suicide_pill_060909/2006090 9?hub=Canada&s_name=
CAPTION: Dr. Philip Nitschke of Exit International was in Toronto for an international right-to-die conference Saturday. CAPTION Donald Babey of Dying with Dignity Canada.
An Australian doctor has developed a suicide -- or "peaceful pill" -- that someone wishing to euthanize herself could make at home.
"You can do everything yourself, acquire what you need access what is ultimately the most peaceful way of a peaceful death," Dr. Philip Nitschke of Exit International said Saturday.
He is in Toronto for an international right-to-die conference. He has helped produce a book instructing people on how to make the pill.
"If you can manage things yourself you don't break laws," Nitschke said.
The book is based on the work of some elderly and ill Australians under Nitschke's guidance. Their concoction -- a lethal barbituate, which acts by depressing the central nervous system -- is similar to a drug used in the few countries where euthanasia is not against the law.
Australia's current Suicide Material Offences Act prohibits giving how-to advice on suicide to someone via e-mail, fax or telephone. As a result, Exit in Australia split into two organizations, with its website now based in New Zealand.
Ten years ago, euthanasia was legal in northern Australia, but then the law was struck down.
Right-to-die groups looked for alternatives to doctor-assisted euthanasia, but not everyone at the conference thinks a suicide pill is the answer.
"It appeals to people looking for an immediate response or coverage, doesn't address 100 per cent solution, which is to allow for physician aid in dying," said Donald Babey of Dying with Dignity Canada.
Twelve years ago, the assisted death of Sue Rodriguez triggered debate on the issue in this country.
"I don't think its wrong to take ones life when one is like this," said Rodriguez, who suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
The fatal neurodegenerative illness gradually robs a person of control over their body.
However, the public sympathy for Rodriguez didn't result in Canada changing its laws.
Last fall, Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde tabled a private member's bill that would legalize assisted suicide. However, the bill died when that Parliamentary session ended in November 2005.
Lalonde may try to resurrect the bill in this current session of Parliament.
With a report from CTV's Denelle Balfour and files from The Canadian Press
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2. Le projet "Peanut"
La Presse Santé, mercredi 13 septembre 2006, Laporte, Isabelle http://www.lapresse.ca/article/20060913/CPACTUEL03/609130557/5663/CPACTUEL03
Des aînés fabriquent une pilule du suicide
Sans connaissances particulières en chimie, 20 Australiens, âgés de 80 ans en moyenne, ont réussi à se fabriquer une pilule du suicide.
La nouvelle a été annoncée à Toronto, le week-end dernier, par le Dr Philip Nitschke, dans le cadre d'une conférence internationale sur le droit de mourir dans la dignité.
"Ils pourraient conclure un pacte de suicide, mais ça m'étonnerait beaucoup, a affirmé le médecin de 59 ans, interviewé par La Presse. Je sais qu'une de ces personnes est très malade et que son état ne cesse de s'aggraver. Pour l'instant, elle s'est fixé une date en mars ou avril prochain."
Comme la loi australienne interdit de fournir à autrui le moyen de se suicider, ces personnes ont décidé de fabriquer elles-mêmes, en groupe, la quantité de barbituriques nécessaire à leur propre mort. Le projet "Peanut" (barbiturique en argot américain) est né d'une idée du Dr Nitschke, directeur général d'Exit International, organisme australien de défense du droit à l'euthanasie volontaire.
"Leur âge moyen était de 80 ans. La majorité de ces personnes étaient en santé. Deux d'entre elles ont suivi des cours de chimie au bac", a précisé le Dr Nitschke. Pour respecter la loi, tous les participants devaient participer activement au projet, même s'il ne s'agissait que de préparer le thé.
Prétendant être des ornithologues amateurs, les membres du groupe ont caché leur laboratoire dans une ferme de la Nouvelle-Galles-du-Sud. Après trois jours, ils avaient réalisé la première des deux étapes nécessaires à la fabrication d'une pilule d'amylobarbital. La deuxième phase s'est avérée plus ardue. "Il leur a fallu près d'un an pour réussir", a noté le Dr Nitschke.
La préparation finale a été envoyée à un laboratoire spécialisé à des fins d'analyse. Les résultats sont attendus à la fin du mois. Les participants recevront alors exactement la dose nécessaire pour causer leur propre mort, pas plus, pas moins.
"La plupart des membres du groupe ne prendront jamais la substance. Ils veulent simplement savoir qu'elle existe et qu'ils pourront y recourir en cas de besoin", a déclaré le Dr Nitschke. Tous ont assisté au préalable à une série d'ateliers préparatoires sur des thèmes tels que les soins palliatifs.
Après leur décès, les membres comptent léguer leur matériel de laboratoire et leur savoir- faire à d'autres. Déjà, plus de 200 personnes se sont inscrites sur une liste d'attente.
© 2006 La Presse. Tous droits réservés.
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3. Websites Promoting Suicide Should Be Outlawed, Some Say
Patrick Goodenough International Editor
(CNSNews.com) - In a move that could hinder the efforts of fringe euthanasia advocates, a charity in Britain is pushing for the government to act against Internet websites promoting suicide.
Citing Australia as a possible model to follow, the suicide prevention group Papyrus wants the British government to outlaw the hosting and transmission of suicide-promoting websites.
"Child pornography, sexual grooming of children and racism are all illegal and can be dealt with by regulatory bodies," the organization said in a campaign leaflet.
"However, there remains a danger area which currently is not clearly illegal in this country and does not fall within the remit of any regulatory body -- websites and chatrooms which can encourage the vulnerable to take their own lives."
Applicable British law, which predates the Internet, outlaws aiding, counseling or inciting someone to take their own life, but prosecutions are dependent on proving a link between the information provided by the accused person and the act of suicide.
Papyrus coordinator Paul Kelly, whose teenager son died in a website-related suicide in 2001, said there was a lack of awareness of the role played by the Internet in promoting suicide.
Papyrus says young people can be particularly vulnerable: They tend to use the Internet a lot, and if experiencing depression or other adolescent problems could be endangered by sites encouraging suicide.
Typing relevant search terms into an Internet search engine brings up thousands of websites, ranging from bizarre death cults offering explicit directions for suicide and chatrooms where the relative merits of different methods are discussed, to more mainstream "right-to-die" organizations.
In countries including Britain, the U.S., Japan and South Korea, investigators have linked suicides to specific websites, and in some cases, legal threats have prompted sites to remove some offending material or shut down.
'Everybody's right'
Australia is one country that has taken clear legal steps to outlaw using the Internet to promote suicide, a step largely prompted by the activism of Dr. Philip Nitschke, one of the most controversial figures in the pro-euthanasia world.
A decade after helping four patients to kill themselves under the world's first euthanasia law (the law in Australia's Northern Territory subsequently was overturned by the federal government in Canberra), Nitschke continues to hold workshops providing what he calls "end of life information."
He says his mostly ill and elderly patients should be able to access such information.
Nonetheless, Nitschke has publicly questioned whether being terminally-ill should be a prerequisite for having the "right" to end one's life. His Exit International website's tagline is "A Peaceful Death is Everybody's Right."
Nitschke has also investigated a range of suicide methods, including asphyxiation devices of various kinds and what he calls the "peaceful pill" - a lethal homemade cocktail comprising easily available ingredients.
After various attempts to restrict his activities, including the removal of two barbiturates popular with euthanasia advocates from a medical prescription list, the Australian government in January this year introduced a new law making it a crime to use the Internet or phone to encourage suicide.
Convictions under the Suicide Material Offences Act can bring a fine of around $90,000 for an individual, and up to $370,000 for an organization.
In justifying the need for the legislation, the government cited two expert studies into the role of the Internet in promoting suicidal behavior.
A 1997 study published in the International Association for Suicide Prevention's journal, Crisis, looked at interactive suicide notes involving people who later committed suicide, and demonstrated the influence of the Internet on those who wanted to share their ideas and thoughts about suicide.
A 1999 study on suicide attempts, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry showed the risk of having access to online suicide methods.
Nitschke reacted to the legislation by moving his website to a New Zealand-based hosting company, although he continues to work and campaign in Australia.
Two weeks ago, a state lawmaker in South Australia used parliamentary privilege to deliver a speech on euthanasia, during which she gave details on how to commit suicide. They included the advice that Australians traveling to the U.S. could cross the border into Mexico and buy Nembutal, a popular suicide drug, for about $30. "It isn't detectable by sniffer dogs, and it has a long shelf life," said Sandra Kanck.
The lawmaker took the stepto highlight the legislation, which she opposes.
Normally, the unedited parliamentary record would have been made available on the Internet. But doing so in this case would have broken the new law, and the South Australian parliament took the unusual step of striking Kanck's speech from the record.
Nitschke promptly posted the speech on his website, saying it was "considered and balanced, and explained in detail the problems caused by the federal government's attempt to suppress end of life information."
Nitschke, who has co-written a booklet giving instructions for making his "peaceful pill," took part in an international "right-to-die" conference in Toronto, running from Thursday through Sunday.
Ironically, Sunday was World Suicide Prevention Day.
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4. On this day
NT News WED 13 SEP 2006, ON THIS DAY
10 YEARS AGO A BID to have the Territory's euthanasia law overturned was the start of an ultra-conservative campaign against human rights legislation, an NT minister said yesterday. Asian Relations and Trade Minister Eric Poole said the bid in Federal Parliament would also target abortion laws.
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5. Euthanasia Radicals Show Their True Colors in Canada
Wesley Smith Saturday, September 09, 2006
Euthanasia radicals are always trying to pretend that all they want is access to assisted suicide for the terminally ill in unbearable pain for whom nothing can be done to alleviate suffering. This is a false premise, of course. But it is not the true agenda of the movement, which is really about eventually getting to the place of near death on demand.
Proof of this assertion can be found in the ongoing World Federation of Right to Die Societies Convention in Toronto. One of the prime presenters at the conference is Australian physician and euthanasia absolutist Philip Nitschke, who was paid thousands of dollars by the Hemlock Society (now merged into the euphemistically named Compassion and Choices) to develop the "peaceful pill," a suicide concoction that is designed to allow ready access to suicide for those who live in countries where assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal. (Nitschke now says that the peaceful pill resulted from elderly people pooling their resources to help create it. But he has worked on the project, funded by euthanasia advocates, for years.)
How radical is Nitschke? He has supported suicide for "troubled teens," and has urged that the peaceful pill be available in supermarkets. (For proof, see this Q and A interview with Nitschke from 2001.)
Euthanasia ideologues often try to distance themselves from Nitschke, and for obvious reasons. If the public got a true whiff of the ultimate agenda, the euthanasia political movement would be doomed.
But the truth is that Nitschke is widely liked and respected within the movement. That is why he is always invited to speak at high visibility euthanasia conventions such as at Toronto, where he is introducing his peaceful pill to the attendees.
The moral of the story: Don't listen to what these advocates say. Watch out who they hang out with. After all, we are known by the friends we keep.
Did Nitschke Kill Animals or People in Perfecting the "Peaceful Pill?"
My last blog entry was about the notorious Philip Nitschke introducing his "peaceful pill" suicide concoction at the World Federation of Right to Die Societies bi-annual convention. I almost missed this little factoid in the news report about his appearance. "After a year of trials, the group has synthesized the barbiturate [in the suicide pill] into crystalline form. It is being tested for contaminants in an Australian laboratory. Once they get the assay results later this month, the barbiturate -- named the Peanut Project (peanut is an American street name for barbiturates) -- should be ready for use, Nitschke said." (My emphasis.)
Excuse me: But how does one conduct "trials" of a suicide pill? Did Nitschke kill animals with the concoction? Did he give it to people? I repeat: How does one test a suicide pill? Can someone explain to me why journalists so often fail to ask the most obvious questions?
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6. Local's Kevorkian biography pushing for doctor's release
The Clarkson News(US) 7Jun06 News James Martinez
Springfield Township's Neal Nicol recently co-authored a biography on his friend Dr. Jack Kevorkian in hopes of helping the controversial doctor get out of a Michigan prison.
Photo by James Martinez
June 07, 2006 - Few figures were more controversial in the 1990's than assisted-suicide proponent Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who was sentenced in a Michigan court to 10 – 25 years in state prison in 1999 on a second degree murder charge following the 1998 death of Thomas Youk.
While Kevorkian sits in his jail cell in Coldwater, Michigan, his friend Neal Nicol, of Springfield Township, hopes a soon to be released biography he co-authored may help free Kevorkian, who is eligible for parole in 2007.
The 269 page "Between the Dying and the Dead," released in the United Kingdom on May 25, will be available in the United States in July.
"Between the dying and the dead… is the realization in a person's mind that they are going to die. That could be life flashing before your eyes before you hit a tree or it could be a doctor giving you a diagnosis that you have (a disease) and that you're going to die but it's going to be two years, five years, ten years down the road," said Nicol.
"That's what we're talking about between the dying and the dead. That period of time when you're forced to take a look at your death, whether you want to or not and how you handle that, and should you be allowed a decision to maybe not go the full route."
Kevorkian's friends Nicol and Harry Wylie, an engineer who currently lives outside the United States, worked together on the book for approximately three years. Wylie compiled the information and interviewed people who knew Kevorkian, while Nicol provided his first person accounts of many of Kevorkian's controversial procedures.
Long before the assisted-suicide debate took the country by storm, Nicol met Kevorkian while working as the blood bank technician at Pontiac General Hospital in the early 1960's. Throughout their friendship, Nicol was involved with other procedures and research conducted by Kevorkian and detailed in the book, including a project of transfusing blood from a cadaver directly into Nicol. One particular blood transfusion run as a control group for the cadaver research caused Nicol, Kevorkian and a third volunteer to contract Hepatitis from blood bank blood. Nicol was laid up for six months dealing with the illness.
Despite a long break of about 15 years where they did not see each other, Nicol and Kevorkian met up again in 1991. Shortly afterwards, following the death of Kevorkian's sister Margo, Nicol was responsible for much of the videotaping consultations, clerical work and contact for Kevorkian's patients giving him first person insight on Kevorkian's procedures and court battles to follow.
"Jack has asked me like a dozen times to write a book about physician-assisted suicide." said Nicol, who rejected the suggestion for several years until a fellow friend of Kevorkian, Wylie, volunteered to write the book.
"He wanted someone I think to give their opinion of physician-assisted suicide other than his own, and I just didn't really feel adequate. I didn't feel I was organized enough to do that. I had never done any writing," said Nicol.
Nicol explained there were other reasons besides Wylie joining the project that convinced him to finally put out the book. Nicol explained both he and Wylie hope the book will stir up enough controversy and bring attention to Kevorkian.
"One of the other things that's changed is the fact he's wasting his life in prison and we hope that shining a light on the fact that he's been locked up now for seven years is plenty enough punishment and it would hopefully get a ground fall of support to get him out."
Neal Nicol stands in front of a shelf filled with books, articles and artifacts about his friend Dr. Jack Kevorkian.
Photo by James Martinez
"If nothing else I think it'll make people sit down and think. "Maybe I oughta address that situation that yes I'm going to die someday and yes I should make those decisions to get those advanced directives and make sure my wife has the right to tell a doctor, 'No we're not doing that and this is why we're not doing it. And I don't want to be like
Terri Schiavo sitting in a coma for 14 years when her husband tried to help her out and they wouldn't allow it,'" said Nicol.
While much has been written in newspapers and books, Nicol said his firsthand accounts provide a different look at man who was often referred to "Doctor Death."
"No one who has written a book had the insight we had. We knew him personally, we dealt with him on a personal level," said Nicol.
"He's not macabre at all. He has many, many talents, is very light-hearted and self- deprecating," said Nicol.
"I think most people, through the media, have been given an impression of Jack that really isn't true. And we wanted to make people know him as we knew him. And once they did, they'd realize he's a very warm individual with an awful lot of intelligence and a willingness to share."
According to Nicol, the first title, selected from approximately 10 proposed by Kevorkian and several of his acquaintances was "You Don't Know Jack." The title of the book had to be changed, however, because it would not have meant the same thing to readers in the United Kingdom.
"When it got to England, (the press company) took a look at it and said "That doesn't have the meaning for the English people that it has for the Americans," recalled Nicol.
In addition to the book, Nicol said the movie rights are already sold to producer Steve Jones who is in the process of submitting the written screenplay to studios. The original title may be used in the movie, according to Nicol.
As time moves on, Nicol foresees the acceptance of assisted-suicide coming along with a better recognition of Kevorkian as a hero.
"He's a hero because people want that option at the end of life," said Nicol, who explained that he thinks most people who have experience with long terminal illness or have watched loved ones suffer are in favor of assisted suicide.
Currently, Nicol talks to Kevorkian two or three times a month and visited him once at the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater. According to Nicol, he used to visit
Kevorkian about five times a month, but the process leading up to having guests includes two strip searches and Kevorkian tires of the process resulting in the lower number of trips.
Nicol lives with his wife Patricia Pund Nicol and step daughter in Springfield Township. Nicol left Pontiac General Hospital for laboratory sales from 1964-81 for a distributor.
In 1981, he started his own business in laboratory sales which he retired from in 2002. The company is now run by his wife.
James is a 2002 Michigan State University graduate. Before coming to the Clarkston News earned his state teaching certificate and worked as news editor of The Michigan Times.
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