For Immediate Release
June 2009, From the President

With the arrests on February 25 of the four Final Exit Network volunteers on charges of assisting in a suicide, plus charges under the Georgia RICO racteering statues, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) initiated its plan to close down our organization. Their plan, as has become evident, is to bankrupt us by siezing our bank accounts and those of our affiliates. They are also getting other police departments to bring similar charges against others of our volunteers, no matter how baseless, knowing that each person arrested must have his own lawyer so that the legal charges will ultimately drain what is left of our money or what we might raise. They have also raided the homes of 14 of our officers and other members confiscating their computers and records. They even forced our former phone answering service to stop taking calls. Most disgraceful they have even directed local police departments to visit some of our very ill members who had asked for our services “to see if they were still alive!” This is obviously intended to intimidate our members and make us quit.

Emboldened by the GBI's arrests, on May 14th the prosecutor in Maricopa County, Arizona, secured indictments against four more volunteers who have been charged with manslaughter for simply providing our standard Exit Guide services which consist of giving the member information as to what they need, and how to proceed, and being there, but not assisting in the members death.

Much to the consternation of the GBI we have survived with the loans or gifts from our board members and the outpouring of donations from members and non members who are outraged at the GBI’s tactics. In addition, Derek Humphry, author of “Final Exit” and advisory board member, established a legal defense fund. Between the two efforts we have been able bail out our members and hire first rate attorneys who are working for a substantially reduced rate.

It is evident that the GBI has a very weak case. It rests on the testimony of a man who pretended to have cancer, lied in his application for membership, lied in his reason for requesting Exit Guide service, submitted fraudulent medical records prepared by the GBI medical director, and then, claimed that one of the volunteers was planning to “hold him down” during the dying process! However since the GBI’s plan is to force us out of business without having a trial they are persisting with this charade.

We need your continued help, that of your friends, neighbors and everyone you know who is as outraged as you are to continue to fund us and also to spread the word of the totalitarian tactics being used by these “upholders of the law.”

With your help we will triumph and be able to continue to support those who so desperately need our help.

Jerry Dincin, President.

Final Exit Network is a four-year-old volunteer-run nonprofit organization. More information is available here on this website or by calling (866) 230-2471.

Contact: Jerry Dincin, President
Email: president@finalexitnetwork.org

(Download press release as a pdf)

Our Goals:

• To serve people who are suffering intolerably from an irreversible condition which has become more than they can bear.
• To foster research to find new peaceful and reliable ways to self-deliver.
• To promote the use of advance directives.
• To advocate for individuals when their advance directives are not being honored.

We believe the needs of those who are suffering are paramount.
We applaud the work of organizations that seek legislative action to strengthen our right to die a peaceful and painless death at the time and place of our choosing. However, we feel that legislative change will not come soon enough for the many people who need help NOW and in the interim!

We will serve many whom other organizations may turn away. The Exit Guide program of Final Exit Network accepts members with cancer, ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Alzheimer's disease, congestive heart failure, emphysema, and other incurable illnesses.

We also will support research on methods of self deliverance.

In the News

Right to Die as an Ethical Issue  6/25/09 Life as a Member  3/28/09 Final Exit Network on YouTube Keeping a Promise When a Life Is Near Its End 11/10/08 Response to “Keeping a Promise” by Faye Girsh  11/10/08 Washington State Passes I-1000 11/5/08 Should euthanasia be legal? Read both sides at Euthanasia ProCon