Web induced suicides?

[gibber71]

Point, Click and Die
‘Pro-choice’ suicide sites come under legal scrutiny

By Rebecca Sinderbrand
NEWSWEEK


June 30 issue — After her grandmother died, 21-year-old Julie Veteto sank into a severe depression. Still, her family was stunned the afternoon her husband, Roger, came home to find her body dangling from a dog leash in their bathroom doorway. The couple’s computer was still connected to the Internet. On the screen: a Web site with detailed information on suicide by hanging.

“THIS STUFF SHOULDN’T be online,” says Veteto’s father, Rick Townsend. He insists that because of Julie’s lifelong learning disabilities, “there’s no way she would have known how to kill herself if they hadn’t told her how.”
The last year has seen a significant uptick in visitors to so-called pro-choice-suicide Web sites. And now, as more and more families come home to find a computer on and a loved one dead, the sites are coming under increasing legal scrutiny.

Suicide may not be a crime, but in most states, helping someone commit suicide is. Julie Veteto’s family is filing a lawsuit against the site that was on her computer screen. And authorities in St. Louis are deciding whether a recent death may give them the chance to bring assisted-suicide laws into the Information Age.

Earlier this month a 52-year-old woman rented two helium tanks, carefully arranged herself on her living-room couch and ended her life with an overdose of the gas. Detectives at the scene found a printout from the Church of Euthanasia’s Web site titled “How to Kill Yourself,” detailing the most effective way to use helium to end your life. “When we can definitely prove that someone assisted a suicide, we’ll prosecute, no matter what form that help takes,” says St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce.
Q&A with Suicide Site Administrator

Not surprisingly, the medical establishment is also upset. “The danger of these sites is they convince you life can be a balance sheet where you should add up the pluses and minuses, and then act from there,” says Herbert Hendin, medical director of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Even right-to-die advocacy groups are distancing themselves from these Web sites. “When someone’s in the grips of a mental illness like depression, they’re not able to think rationally,” says the Hemlock Society’s Julian Rush. “This kind of unbridled freedom in this area can lead to a lot of abuse.”

Meanwhile, the sites’ fans have an almost evangelical fervor. “It’s about the validation, the unconditional acceptance,” says Maxine, an Ottawa resident whose son visited one of the sites almost daily until committing suicide nearly two years ago. Maxine, now a visitor herself, says she’s glad her son was able to find a community to help him through his pain.

Talk like that makes Townsend feel physically ill. “These Web sites are evil,” he says. “I believe with all my heart if that Web site hadn’t been there, Julie would still be alive today.” Soon, that will be a question for the courts to decide.

© 2003 Newsweek, Inc.

http://www.msnbc.com

Again we have the debate as to who or what is responsible and what responsibility is.Do websites like these actual make people kill themselves? Are they a catalyst that influence people to kill themselves who may not have thought to do so? Or are people's mind's are ready made up and this is the validation or excuse to put them over the edge?

[JStrider]

websites dont make people kill themselves...
people kill themselves... the websites might give them pointers to make sure it works... and is possibly less painful and quicker... but if someone is going to kill themselves they'll do it with or without the web sites...

[Fade]

if they are actually looking for site....
but if the site convinces them to commit suicide...

[Fallon]

I think that their mind is already made up. Why are they looking at the site in the first place? You just don't accidentally type in How do I kill myself and then search for it. I also think that it's bs to say someone doesn't know know how to kill themselves like the guy in the article said. He's looking for someone to blame when there wasn't really. Sure, the content on the sites are disturbing but again back to my first point, if she wanted to kill herself, she would have with or without the site. Pretty soon, someone is going to start suing porn sites because they take away a Significant Others love interest in them...

[mtsgsd]

Originally posted by JStrider
websites dont make people kill themselves...
people kill themselves... the websites might give them pointers to make sure it works... and is possibly less painful and quicker... but if someone is going to kill themselves they'll do it with or without the web sites...

I agree completely, but I think there's more to this issue. You could argue that a mentally ill person would be more likely to kill killthemselves before getting help thru the use of a site like this.

These sites are aimed at someone who is presumed to be sane and rational and has made a carefully considered choice (i'm assuming here so I could be wrong?) What do these sites do to help ensure that other people who don't fit that description don't take advantage of the info? For that matter what can they do?

I hate big brother style government where it's presumed you have to be guarded from yourself, but people with mental illness have no one else to protect them but other people. Maybe some information should not be so freely available?

I don't claim to know the answer, just showing another side.

[Bill O'Rights]

Again we have the debate as to who or what is responsible and what responsibility is.Do websites like these actual make people kill themselves? Are they a catalyst that influence people to kill themselves who may not have thought to do so? Or are people's mind's are ready made up and this is the validation or excuse to put them over the edge?

Of course they've already thought of it, or else they wouldn't have been searching for websites that pertain to suicide in the first place.

As far as whether these websites are responsible in these deaths, or not, is the real question. I am going to assume here, not having seen one of the sites in question, that it is a basic "how-to" instruction manual on suicide. If they hold no legal responsibility, then certainly they would hold a <b>moral</b> responsibility.

edit: fixed your quote tag

[Halx]

And now, as more and more families come home to find a computer on and a loved one dead, the sites are coming under increasing legal scrutiny.

This is the worst line ever. I think it speaks volumes for the complete absurdity of this article.

[Peetster]

The article was so depressing that I'm right now, as we speak, doing a google search on assisted "shutthefuckup".

[The_Dude]

FREE SPEECH.

it's YOUR choice to look @ sites, the webmaster didnt force the site upon you.

guns can kill, but do we outlaw guns?

[boredjerk]

I didn't know you could kill yourself with helium.


From the Church of Euthanasia:

"A tank of helium; helium is widely used to inflate balloons. If the tank holds enough helium to inflate 600 ballons, you'll have more than enough: that's 20 big breaths a minute, times 30 minutes. "

Seems like 20 breaths a minute for 30 minutes of just about anything might kill you.

[WhoaitsZ]

okay, i consider myself to be a compassionate fellow although I do lean towards graphic violence when its needed, but this article cracks me up. sorry, but its funny.

tell ya what, people who sue, how about you explain to us why she was alone? if she were that patheticly off she needed company 24/7. so sue your fucking selves you responsibilityless bastards.

point your finger is all they do these days.

and how dumb can you be to need instructions on hanging yourself?

sorry, I have little sympathy for this kind of deal.

[Kaos]

If people really want to kill themselves, they will find a way to do it....website or not.

Giving directions on how to do it, seems morally wrong to me...but legally, that's a different story.

[YourNeverThere]

i agree when the fact that they will do it anyway. I must say that i am completly jaded in this area and acually can find humour in the webbased suiside artices like this one. www.Mysuiside.com .

[vermin]

If you're going to go after web sites then you also have to go through the local public library and get rid of any suicide info there. And outlaw friends discussing suicide in private 'cuz that might lead to someone finding out some info Big Bro Fo doesn't want you to know. Maybe we should just put a lock on everyone's brains so nothing naughty can happen.

Oh, wait, that's not much of a life, is it?

I hate it when people blame the web (tv violence, Ozzy, Judas Priest) for things like this. School shootings, too. An asshole is an asshole and will do his asshole thing whether inspired by the internet, books, television, movies or graffitti spray painted on overpasses. Put the blame where it belongs. Up...er, On the asshole.

[komodo]

You don't kill yourself because someone told you how to.

End of story.

[boredjerk]

She had it coming.

[alterEGO]

I've been to a suicidal group once, which i wont name. But there seem to be plenty of people who asked to commit suicide with someone else. I've seen several sites made by people who are death already for a long time. I figured out its not the way to kill yourself, as i continue to fight for my life.

I don't know if i would agree with the article, but less suicides is always a good thing people!

[alterEGO]

Originally posted by komodo
You don't kill yourself because someone told you how to.

End of story.

But the site made her thought about more , and has told her how to do it the easy way, which she did follow.

To be continued.

[KillerYoda]

Goatse made me want to kill myself the first time I saw it.

[joshibahn]

Suicide may not be a crime, but in most states, helping someone commit suicide is.

Yeah, right it's not a crime, I was arrested at age 17 for jumping off a 90 foot bridge into a river, we were doing it for fun, even thought the sign said not to. The officer said it was "attempted suicide". A 600$ ticket and some counseling that they let me off early from, proves it's a crime to me.

[gov135]

Originally posted by komodo
You don't kill yourself because someone told you how to.

End of story.

Exactly.

We could probably all name over a hundred ways to off yourself between the posters on this thread, it doesn't mean that we are gonna do it.

[jmf1234]

I agree that these websites shouldn't be on the web but what makes the web great is the fact that we can say anything we want. So they shouldn't be on the web but we shouldn't take them off.