Saturday, February 06, 2010

Ethical Conundrum or Disgusting Scam?

"A Dignitas doctor in Zurich reviewed the Peninous' case and agreed to write a prescription for sodium pentobarbital, the lethal drug typically used for assisted suicides ... They paid Dignitas its fee of ($10,500).

The suicides took place not in a private medical facility, but in an industrial space next to a large brothel ... just two spare rooms without a bathroom. He says two Dignitas volunteers, neither a doctor, helped prepare the couple. There was just one single bed, forcing Mr. Peninou to sit in a chair near his wife when the couple took the lethal dose."

I realize that this is a lot of quoting without much comment (so far), but please bear with me just a bit longer:

"[Ludwig Minelli, founder of Dignitas] argues that anyone—the chronically ill, the mentally ill or those who are simply tired of living—deserves help to end it all."

"Chronically" ill? "Tired of living?" These are legitimate, justifiable reasons to encourage folks to commit suicide?

Or are they, instead, a sales pitch for a few dollars worth of chemicals?

I know what I think.
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