HELIUM SUICIDE HOW TO

HELIUM SUICIDE HOW TO

Sales of suicide kits are often propelled by online sites, with blogs that explain how to get a kit and YouTube videos that demonstrate how to use one. While the Oregon physician-assisted suicide law requires that people abide by certain rules and consult with a doctor, the ready-made kits can be ordered by anyone, with no checks on their background, through the mail or phone. The state says 65 Oregonians took their lives under the law in 2010.īut the laws are often vague and provide little detail as to what “assist” or “aid” means. Oregon law mandates multiple doctor consultations and looks at possible psychological evaluation before such a suicide can happen. Physician-assisted suicide is also legal in Washington and Montana. In 1994, Oregon became the first state to enact a law that lets terminally ill people end their lives with a physician’s assistance, with voters approving the policy twice. Now that debate, and its ethical implications, is being rekindled by the increasing use of helium hood kits.

In the late 1990s, Michigan doctor Jack Kevorkian brought the debate into American homes by airing his assist of a suicide on “60 Minutes.” Klonoski suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome for years and was often depressed, his brother said.Īctivists have long argued about a person’s right to take their life, and what exactly it means to assist them. The proposal unanimously passed the Senate this month and the House is looking at tightening the bill’s language to make it easier to prosecute. The Oregon legislation would make it a felony to sell or transfer “any substance or objects to another person knowing” that person plans to use it to kill themselves. Law enforcement officials are also looking into the 91-year-old woman who sold the “helium hood” that killed Klonoski, with agents raiding her California home Wednesday.

The death of 29-year-old Nick Klonoski has prompted Oregon lawmakers to consider outlawing the sale of suicide kits as they respond to a disturbing twist on the assisted suicide debate in the state. “Somewhere in her cash register is a check for $60 from my brother for his life,” Jake Klonoski said of the suicide kit vendor. Authorities in Oregon have begun cracking down on the contraptions that hook up to a helium tank and allow people to gas themselves to death. Floyd Prozanski shows a “suicide kit” consisting of plastic tubing and a plastic bag with collar that fits over a person’s head.

Helium suicide