ATLANTA -- Living with a fatal degenerative disease, Susan Caldwell relied heavily on the support of a Georgia-based right-to-die group. She had tried to kill herself in 2008 by strapping on a helium-filled hood, and just knowing the group - the Final Exit Network - was there for her gave her peace of mind.
Then, the organization went on hiatus in Georgia when four group members were charged with assisted suicide. Awash with anxiety, the 43-year-old Caldwell filed a lawsuit last week asking a federal judge to let the group assign her an exit guide who could hold her hand and guide her through her final hours if the pain of living becomes unbearable.
It is not the illness I fear, it is the suffering it causes, she said. Final Exit Network provided relief and compassion to people like me.
She claims in the lawsuit that Georgia's assisted suicide law is vague and unconstitutional. She contends it violates her free speech rights because it blocks her from seeking the advice of right-to-die groups.
Caldwell has Huntington's disease, a genetic disorder that usually leads to dementia, difficulty speaking and involuntary movements. The disease, which afflicts an estimated 30,000 people in the U.S., is passed from parent to child, and there's no cure. Most people die about 15 to 20 years after developing symptoms.
Caldwell, who is now having trouble swallowing, wants Georgia's law overturned because she believes she has the right to die. And she believes she has the right to seek the group's help if she wants to end her life.
People are going to commit suicide regardless, and the Final Exit Network offers a peaceful and painless way to die with dignity, she said. Having it be peaceful and dignified, and having a compassionate and supportive person who is there to hold your hand and be emotionally supportive of you, is critical.
Full Story: http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/18/ga-woman-sues-to-overturn-assisted-suicide-law/
Then, the organization went on hiatus in Georgia when four group members were charged with assisted suicide. Awash with anxiety, the 43-year-old Caldwell filed a lawsuit last week asking a federal judge to let the group assign her an exit guide who could hold her hand and guide her through her final hours if the pain of living becomes unbearable.
It is not the illness I fear, it is the suffering it causes, she said. Final Exit Network provided relief and compassion to people like me.
She claims in the lawsuit that Georgia's assisted suicide law is vague and unconstitutional. She contends it violates her free speech rights because it blocks her from seeking the advice of right-to-die groups.
Caldwell has Huntington's disease, a genetic disorder that usually leads to dementia, difficulty speaking and involuntary movements. The disease, which afflicts an estimated 30,000 people in the U.S., is passed from parent to child, and there's no cure. Most people die about 15 to 20 years after developing symptoms.
Caldwell, who is now having trouble swallowing, wants Georgia's law overturned because she believes she has the right to die. And she believes she has the right to seek the group's help if she wants to end her life.
People are going to commit suicide regardless, and the Final Exit Network offers a peaceful and painless way to die with dignity, she said. Having it be peaceful and dignified, and having a compassionate and supportive person who is there to hold your hand and be emotionally supportive of you, is critical.
Full Story: http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/18/ga-woman-sues-to-overturn-assisted-suicide-law/
