Should The Hemlock Society Allow People The Right To Physician Assisted Suicide

155 Words1 Pages
In 1980, Derek Humphrey co-founded the Hemlock Society (Gabriel, 1991). The Hemlock Society was originally put into place to provide information and support to dying persons. Derek’s first wife, Jean, was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. Jean asked Humphrey to help her end her life and put her out of her misery, so he did. After about a year, he remarried to Ann Wickett, who became the other co-founder of the Hemlock Society (Gabriel, 1991). However, this group never reached as far as it would have liked to - Washington D.C. Humphrey’s goal was to have physician assisted suicide passed by the legislature. Humphrey wrote several books and articles expressing his opinion on the importance of allowing people the right to physician assisted