by Christopher Sanchez
Daily Lobo
Kate Watson's clients often tell her they are not afraid of death - they see it as an adventure.
Watson, an assistant administrator for the dean at UNM's School of Medicine, is also a volunteer for the Final Exit Network, an organization that supports people in pain who want to end their life safely.
"There are some people who can put a gun in their mouth, but just because they can put a gun in their mouth doesn't mean they are going to die - it can put them in poor shape, " Watson said.
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She said most of the clients with the organization choose to die by inhaling helium because it is more accessible than a medication overdose. The process is quick and painless, Watson said.
"Essentially, it takes two deep breaths and you're unconscious," she said. "Two minutes later, the heart will stop and five minutes later, there is no brain activity."
There are various ways a person could choose to die, she said, including starvation.
She said clients are clear with their decision to end their lives because they are tired of suffering.
"People have reached the place in the grieving process where they have accepted what has happened to them, and they make a personal decision of what works best for them in the end of life," Watson said.
Assisted suicide is illegal in New Mexico and is a felony. Watson said she doesn't assist in the death, but rather tells clients how to do it safely.
"If I were to give a person medication to overdose, they must be able to take medication themselves," Watson said. "I'm there to tell them how to take it safely and to be with their family. This isn't something families do every day."
She said the family must be present for the death and the client has to write a letter with the date stating who they are, what they are doing and why they are doing it, she said. She also has the client repeat the letter on camera to show they are mentally competent in case she needs to show proof in court, she said.
"My experience with the grievance process is very different for families," Watson said. "Unlike many suicides, they've been included in the personal, intimate process."
Watson has been working for the organization since the spring of 2005 but has been involved with assisted suicide for 23 years.
She has worked with Jack Kevorkian, who is famous for assisting in suicides for the terminally ill. He was sent to prison in 1999 because he injected the lethal medication into a patient.
Watson said she has never received any criticism from the UNM administration or staff for her role in the organization.
Ted Goodwin, vice president of the Final Exit Network, said about 10 people created the organization in August 2004. He said in December the organization will encompass more than 40 guides who are trained to counsel and provide information to members.
"We pick the exit guide who is closest to where the member is living, and they talk on the phone and meet personally," Goodwin said. "The exit guide provides information and guidance to the member if, indeed, they choose to hasten their death."
He said the Final Exit Network is a nonprofit organization that encompasses more than 1,000 clients. Because the process can take up to three years, people wanting to be assisted with suicide must pay $50 per year to be a member of the organization, he said.
Goodwin said he has a 12-year-old dog and eventually he will have to put her down because of arthritis. People put their pets down all the time when they suffer, he said.
"If she is suffering, I'll have her put down," he said. "We treat our pets better than we treat our fellow humans."
