FINAL EXIT NETWORK, INC.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA

History of Final Exit Network We also support world-wide education and support death with dignity laws and the right of each individual to make their own end-of-life choices. In September of 2014, Final Exit Network hosted the 2014 biennial conference of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies in Chicago, in which 250 attendees from 23 countries came together to talk about opportunities for self determination in their respective countries and to share and evaluate their respective experiences. Girsh continue to play a major role in the work of Final Exit Network and currently serve Derek Humphry, Hemlock Society & Final Exit Network Founder , which was number one in the New York Times bestseller list. After 22 years in print it continues to be revised and reprinted. It is available in paperback or ebook on the ERGO bookstore at www.finalexit.org/ergo-store, on Amazon worldwide and good bookstores in North America. Derek founded the Hemlock Society USA in l980 and is a past president of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies www.worldrtd.net. Faye Girsh, Hemlock Society & Final Exit Network Founder Faye Girsh, another founder of Hemlock continues as president of The Hemlock Socity of San Diego, which is a very active supporter of Final Exit Network. Faye is also a past president of WFRTDS. Other early Hemlock board members who founded Final Exit Network are . Frank died in 2016, but had been a great asset as Final Exit Network's public relations expert and media specialist. He was very instrumental in our successful media campaign in Chicago at the World Federation Conference. Jim Chastain recently stepped down from many years as the active leader of Final Exit Network in Florida. Dalton Baker recently died in January 2015, after many, many years as an active leader in Final Exit Network. What Sets Final Exit Network Apart Final Exit Network is the only organization in the United States that will help individuals who are not “terminally ill”- 6 months or less to live-to hasten their deaths. No other organization in the US makes this commitment. Other organizations claim to “serve” non-terminal individuals, but they will not counsel or provide guidance and support unless the patient is terminal. Final Exit Network will serve many whom other organizations may turn away. The Network will serve members suffering from …. cancer… neurological diseases such as ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s …. motor neuron diseases such as multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy, respiratory illnesses such as emphysema, degenerative afflictions such as congestive heart failure, stroke, AIDS … and many, many others. In most of these cases, the Network is the only organization that will truly serve these individuals. Final Exit Network is an all volunteer organization-except for a minimum of paid assistance with office, bookkeeping, communications and database services. Other organizations spend millions of members’ dollars each year and some have run deficits of nearly $2 million in a single year. Many have staffs of over 30 people and multiple offices in several cities. Final Exit Network invites its members to participate in choosing who will represent them on the board of directors. The Network is the only US right-to-die membership organization with open elections for board members. WE ARE NOT A SUICIDE HOTLINE. IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING A PERSONAL CRISIS, The Board of Directors of Final Exit Network has authorized an appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States from the corporation’s conviction in Minnesota on a charge of “assisting” in a “suicide.” In May 2015, Final Exit Network, Inc. was convicted by a jury in Hastings, Minnesota of “assisting” in a “suicide” for having provided Exit Guide services to a woman who elected to terminate her extreme suffering. The Network was fined $30,000 and required to pay an additional $3,000 in restitution to the “victims,” the family of the deceased Network member, to cover her funeral expenses. The Network appealed the 2015 conviction to the intermediate Court of Appeals of Minnesota, which affirmed the conviction last December. The Supreme Court of Minnesota denied review of the Court of Appeals’ decision. Even though it was established at the trial that the Network’s Exit Guides, in accordance with the Network’s practices and protocols, did not provide any physical assistance in the death, the Network was convicted merely for giving information to Doreen Dunn, 57, of Apple Valley, Minnesota. Under the Minnesota courts’ interpretation of that state’s law against “assisting” in a “suicide,” the Network was convicted for giving the Apple Valley member the website address where she could purchase Derek Humphrey’s landmark bestseller, “Final Exit,” the Network’s namesake. In all the Minnesota courts, the Network has asserted and will continue to assert in the Supreme Court of the United States that Final Exit Network’s giving of information to its members is a First Amendment-protected exercise of free speech, and therefore Minnesota cannot make it a crime. Final Exit Network As an organization, Final Exit Network is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the publishing of bestseller list. Derek Humphry was also one of the original founders of the Hemlock Society and then later one of the original founders of Final Exit Network. It is with great appreciation that we are honored to celebrate the month of January, beginning January 2, with celebrations aimed at furthering everyone's discussion of their own personal final wishes. A sensitive award-winning Japanese film about a young man who stumbled across a job working as a Japanese ritual mortician. Shunned by his wife and friends for working with death, they changed their minds when they realize the beauty and dignity he brings to the dead and the comfort he provides their loved ones. An Italian film about a young woman who helps people die. Based on the best-selling book by Dr. Atul Gawande, this documentary shows him meeting with colleagues and patients to discuss treatment choices at the end of life. Up-close and even better than the book!