ABA Journal Blawg 100!
We Participate In:
To be or not to be? Can you answer that question on-line?
Choosing to end one’s life has always been a controversial choice in Judeo-Christian societies, among others. But it used to be more of a private, highly personal and solitary consideration. Now it’s being written about and discussed (there are more than 100 comments on the article referenced here) online. I remember when the Hemlock Society was whispered about—now we talk about suicidal impulses for the world to see.
And, naturally, those discussions wind up in the courtroom. An odd case surfaced in the late spring (May 2010) of a licensed practical nurse who later claimed a “suicide chat room addiction”. In brief, a seemingly caring young woman who said she was a nurse would strike up conversations in chat rooms with people contemplating suicide. “She told some that it was all right to let go, that they would be better in heaven, and entered into suicide pacts with others.”
Turns out the alleged young woman was actually a middle-aged man (William F. Melchert-Dinkel, a 47 year old father from Minnesota) who says he gave between 20 and 30 people advice on how to end their lives (practical, how-to strategies). He is now being charged under the assisted suicide statutes and says he is sorry for the advice he dispensed online.
The case raises thorny questions about free speech, assisted suicide statutes (will they really cover this behavior?) and how we prosecute those who use speech as a persuasive tool in the demise of others. It is certainly as disturbing a question as many raised in our coverage of the neurolaw defense.
- Can a person be prosecuted for harmfully influencing depressed people?
- If I tell you it is alright to kill yourself and you do, am I legally responsible?
- What does it mean to make choices of our own? Is any other responsible for what I do with my own hand?
As we enter more and more into the virtual worlds of connection with strangers on-line, where do we draw the lines as to responsibility? It’s a scary question.
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[...] Keene at The Jury Room writes about a curious case where a man (pretending to be a woman) entered suicide chat-rooms and [...]
RT @yosie23 To be or not to be? Can you answer that question online? http://bit.ly/c43PEl very good post #law #suicide #freespeech #fr…
To be or not to be? Can you answer that question online? http://bit.ly/c43PEl very good post #law #suicide #freespeech #freedomeofexpression