Baltimore: Doctor In "Right To Die" Case Talks To WJZ

Description: [of the article from WJZ Baltimore]

An excerpt from an interview with Dr. Lawrence Egbert:
Controversial Baltimore doctor Lawrence Egbert could go to prison for supporting what he calls a person's right to die with dignity. Others call it assisted suicide. "It's always scary. You never get used to it. It's also awesome in its honor of being with the person at this time," said Egbert. Egbert says he has helped about 100 people die. He was the medical director for the Final Exit Network, a group which provides support, guidance and an exit plan for people suffering from a fatal or irreversible illness.

A 58-year-old Georgia man contacted Final Exit after oral cancer and radiation left a hole in his jaw, making eating and speaking difficult. "He was begging for us to come and send somebody," said Egbert. But John Celmer's wife was blindsided by his decision to die and called police. Egbert was arrested outside his home in Hampden. He and three others face charges of assisting a suicide.

Egbert described to WJZ the medical process. "You have the bag of helium on the head. A person will breathe the helium and become unconscious in 30 to 60 seconds, and the heart will stop in 10-20 minutes," said Egbert. "We do nothing but give advice. You have to pull the balloon down. I am not going to pull the balloon down for you." Egbert says he always holds the person's hands. "What we're afraid of is they'll bump the bag." he said.

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Source:

May, Adam. "Doctor In 'Right To Die' Case Talks To WJZ". WJZ Baltimore. Apr 29, 2010 11:25 pm US/Eastern. <wjz.com/local/lawrence.egbert.assisted.2.1664680.html>. WJZ, 3725 Malden Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21211, U.S.A.

Tags:

Tags (or keywords) briefly indicate some major topics of the report.

  • right-to-die

  • assisted suicide

  • Final Exit Network

  • Lawrence Egbert

  • Maryland

  • U.S.A.

ID:

The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid201005035753.
Mailed: Monday, May 3, 2010 13:56:03 -0600
at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Etcetera:

EuthaNEWSia is a free Canadian news advisory service covering end-of-life issues such as right to die, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. EuthaNEWSia is produced by the Right to Die Society of Canada which works toward a good death for all, including open, regulated and equitable access to euthanasia and assisted suicide. The editor is Michael Dawson <editor@euthanewsia.ca>. 

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