Non-physician assisted suicide: The technological imperative of the deathing counterculture

This article reports on the 2nd Self-Deliverance New Technology Conference (NuTech), held in November 1999, in Seattle, Washington. Right-to-die activ ists from six countries met to demonstrate a number of devices for non-medi cal assisted death and to share preliminary findings on their use. The auth or attended all sessions of the private conference and received confidentia l memoranda and papers. An overt observer-as-participant method was used. F ive devices for non-medical assisted death were demonstrated. These include d three systems for breathing inert gas, a customized plastic bag for asphy xiation called the Exit Bag, and a closed circuit breathing system called t he Debreather. Seven deaths out of eight trials were reported for the Debre ather and for deaths were reported using the Exit Bag. Additionally, a non- qualified number of deaths inert gas delivery systems were described by var ious conference delegates. The systems demonstrated by the NuTech group are designed to induce death quickly and painlessly. In general, they leave ne gligible if any, post-mortem evidence of their use. The compulsion to use t echnology to cause death, the "technological imperative," has emerged as pa rt of underground care of dying persons. This imperative raises a serious c hallenge to the health care professionals, legislators, and policy-makers, particularly because it has led to a sophisticated, expanding movement of n on-medical death providers.