Authorities crack down on right-to-die network

In a recent crackdown on right-to-die group Final Exit Network, four members of the group--including medical director Dr. Lawrence Egbert--were arrested and charged with violating assisted-suicide and racketeering laws, and tampering with evidence, in Georgia and Maryland. The group's assets also were frozen. 

Final Exit Network initially began in 2005 in Chicago to help counsel, support and sometimes "guide [people] to self-deliverance" who "suffer from an intolerable condition." According to Jerry Dincin, the network's new president, potential members are "repeatedly" interviewed and their medical records are looked over extensively before being accepted. 

While Dr. Egbert claims that volunteer guides "never pin down" those who are receiving their services, Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead disagrees. He said that when his undercover agent's hand was held, it was more to "prevent flailing." 

The group maintains its innocence, claiming that it doesn't "pressure members to commit suicide." 

For more on Final Exit Network:
- here's the Chicago Tribune story

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