assisted suicide

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Assisted Suicide Pioneer Makes His Choice
Assisted Suicide
Pioneer Makes His Choice
OBITUARY
Dec 1, 2025 9:01 AM CST

Assisted Suicide Pioneer Makes His Choice

Dignitas founder, right-to-die advocate Ludwig Minelli dies by assisted suicide at 92

(Newser) - Ludwig Minelli, founder of the Swiss assisted suicide group Dignitas, has died by assisted suicide just days shy of his 93rd birthday, according to the organization. The right-to-die advocate died at one of his own facilities on Saturday, People reports. A former journalist and lawyer, he established Dignitas in 1998...

OpenAI Slammed With Lawsuits Over 'Dangerous' ChatGPT

Complaints say AI-driven chatbot drove people even without prior mental health issues to suicide

(Newser) - OpenAI is facing seven lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide and harmful delusions, even when they had no prior mental health issues. The lawsuits filed Thursday in California state courts allege wrongful death, assisted suicide, involuntary manslaughter, and negligence, per the AP . Filed on behalf of six adults and...

In Canada, Assisted Dying Causes New Issues
In Canada,
Assisted Dying
Causes New
Issues
LONGFORM
Sep 7, 2025 9:30 AM CDT

In Canada, Assisted Dying Causes New Issues

Expanding euthanasia brings ethical dilemmas, per a deep dive in the Atlantic

(Newser) - Canada's approach to euthanasia—known as medical assistance in dying, or MAID) —has shifted from unthinkable to routine in less than a decade. What began in 2016 as an option for the terminally ill now accounts for about 1 in 20 deaths nationwide—outpacing even countries with...

Mom Said She Was on Vacation, Got Assisted Suicide Instead

Maureen Slough actually traveled to Switzerland to die; her family found out via WhatsApp

(Newser) - When Maureen Slough informed people in early July that she was going on vacation to Lithuania with a friend, daughter Megan Royal didn't think much of it—until soon after, when one of her mom's friends got in touch with her. Royal says he told her that Slough,...

His 'Last Suppers' Have Included Fancy Meals, Burger King

Artist who announced plans for his medically assisted suicide is inspiring some, upsetting others

(Newser) - Since Joseph Awuah-Darko's notice on Instagram in December that he plans on undergoing a medically assisted suicide due to the pain of his bipolar disorder, the Ghanaian artist has launched his "Last Supper Project," accepting invitations from strangers from all over the world to dine with them...

There's a 'Very Clear Problem' With Assisted Suicide

Writing for NYT , Louise Perry fears medically assisted dying may lead to coercion of vulnerable

(Newser) - Medically assisted dying can seem the "logical" and "compassionate" route when a terminally ill patient seems to have nothing but pain and suffering in their future, concedes journalist Louise Perry. But Perry, whose native UK recently saw its lawmakers greenlight plans to legalize assisted suicide, notes in her...

Assisted Suicide to Become Law in the UK

Measure clears Parliament

(Newser) - UK lawmakers on Friday approved a bill to allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales to choose to end their lives in a historic vote. Members of Parliament voted 314-291 to back the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill following an impassioned debate, per the AP . The measure...

Some Say It's 'Compassion.' Others, a 'Slippery Slope'

NY's Senate OKs bill allowing terminally ill to seek medical aid in dying

(Newser) - New York's Senate has passed a bill allowing terminally ill patients to seek medical aid in dying, sending it to Gov. Kathy Hochul for her review. The measure, supported by the state Assembly earlier this year, would permit adults diagnosed with a terminal illness and expected to live...

Euthanasia Pod Advocate Is Dead at 47

Florian Willet was present during first use of Sarco pod

(Newser) - A euthanasia advocate who helped introduce a controversial "suicide pod" in Switzerland has died after a turbulent year marked by legal troubles and mental health struggles. Florian Willet, 47, was known for his involvement with The Last Resort, a right-to-die group affiliated with Exit International, the group that...

Right-to-Die Activist Freed in 'Suicide Capsule' Case

Swiss authorities release Florian Willet of the Last Resort after 2 months

(Newser) - Swiss prosecutors said a right-to-die activist was released Monday after more than two months in police custody over the first use of a so-called "suicide capsule," after they ruled out the possibility of an intentional homicide. Florian Willet, head of advocacy group the Last Resort, was released by...

UK Lawmakers Vote to Legalize Assisted Dying

Historic bill will move to next stage after 330-275 vote in Parliament

(Newser) - After an emotional debate in the House of Commons, British lawmakers voted to legalize assisted dying on Friday. Supporters of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) bill praised the result, though they cautioned that there's a long road ahead, with several stages to go before it can become...

Use of 'Suicide Capsule' Suspended After Arrests

The 370 people waiting to use it will have to wait as criminal probe proceeds

(Newser) - Advocacy groups behind a so-called suicide capsule said Sunday they have suspended the process of taking applications to use it—which numbered over 370 last month—as a criminal investigation into its first use in Switzerland is completed, the AP reports. The president of Switzerland-based The Last Resort, Florian Willet,...

Arrests Follow First Death in Swiss Suicide Pod

US woman used Sarco device to deliver a fatal dose of nitrogen gas on Monday in Switzerland

(Newser) - Several people have been taken into custody in Switzerland following the first use of an assisted suicide device that delivers a fatal dose of nitrogen gas at the touch of a button. The $1 million Sarco capsule developed by Netherlands-based assisted suicide group Exit International features a sealed chamber in...

Woman's Controversial Death Wish Is Finally Granted

Netherlands' Zoraya ter Beek, 29, gets the OK for an assisted death due to mental health struggles

(Newser) - For nearly four years, Zoraya ter Beek has been patiently biding her time, going through the laborious process in the Netherlands to get the green light for an assisted suicide due to what she describes as overwhelming mental suffering. Last week, ter Beek finally saw her request granted, clearing the...

More States May Let the Terminally Ill End Their Lives

10 states allow it to some degree and a dozen are considering it

(Newser) - On a brisk day at a restaurant outside Chicago, Deb Robertson sat with her teenage grandson to talk about her death. She didn't cry when she learned two months ago that the cancerous tumors in her liver were spreading, portending a tormented death. But later, she received a call....

Dying Political Ad Pioneer Has Some Parting Advice

Hal Malchow, who has set Thursday for his death, thinks modern ad campaigns are outdated

(Newser) - A profile of longtime political consultant Hal Machow in Politico Magazine is notable on two fronts. First, Malchow has written a book in which he advocates for a fundamental change in political advertising. But it's the second reason that may cause double-takes: Malchow, who is in his early 70s,...

Woman Who Sought Change in Law Gets Her Last Wish

Connecticut woman Lynda Bluestein ended her life peacefully in Vermont

(Newser) - A terminally ill Connecticut woman ended her life in Vermont on Thursday in what her husband says was the "comfortable and peaceful" death she wanted. Lynda Bluestein, 76, had pushed for Vermont to change its medically assisted suicide law to allow assisted suicide for nonresidents. The law was changed...

Vermont Drops Residency Rule From Assisted Suicide Law

Move is a US first

(Newser) - Vermont on Tuesday became the first state in the country to change its medically assisted suicide law to allow terminally ill people from out of state to take advantage of it to end their lives. Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed the bill that removes the residency requirement for the decades-old...

Frida Kahlo's Death May Have Been Expedited by Husband

So says the grandson of Diego Rivera, Kahlo's spouse, in new BBC documentary

(Newser) - "I hope the exit is joyful. And I hope never to come back." Researchers say that was the last entry in the diary of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, the culmination of years of physical suffering due to childhood polio, a trolley accident, multiple miscarriages, a possible birth defect,...

Lawsuit Says Amazon Sells 'Suicide Kits' to Teens

Suit blames two deaths on the company

(Newser) - Two families have filed a lawsuit against Amazon, accusing the retail giant of not only selling but essentially curating "suicide kits." Per NPR, the complaint accuses Amazon of assisting in the suicides of two teenagers by selling sodium nitrite and then recommending other products, including a scale, an...

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