Poll of the Day > 91 year old woman raided by FBI for selling do-it-yourself suicide kits online

(+) Yeah! (+)

During a May raid on her home in El Cajon, east of San Diego, federal agents seized kits that sold for $40 each and essentially consisted of a plastic bag and clear tubing.

Hydorn said she sold the kits under the name "GLADD Group." Court documents say she sold more than 1,300 kits to people across the United States and abroad. Most of them contacted her by mail or phone.

Hydorn, a retired school teacher, told authorities she knew the kits were intended to be used to commit suicide but she said she thought they would be used by the terminally ill.

Prosecutors, however, said she took no steps to verify the physical condition, age, identity or mental state of her customers and therefore had no idea whether her kits were being bought by people suffering from depression or by minors acting without the consent of an adult.

Prosecutors said Hydorn also tried to hide the true purpose of her kits on U.S. Customs forms by listing them as an "orchid humidifier," or "beauty bonnet" and "plastic rain hood."

After the raid on her home, Hydorn told The Associated Press that she wasn't responsible for who uses the kit and was only trying to help people in pain. She said she had been in business for three years and sold up to 60 kits a month.

According to court documents, Hydorn's helium hood kits consisted of medical-grade tubing, a plastic bag with an elastic collar, or "hood," and a diagram on how to use the kit. The kits caused death by helium asphyxiation once the hood was attached to a helium gas source - which was not part of the kits.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/91-year-old-california-woman-pleads-guilty-selling-suicide-kits-not-paying-taxes-article-1.986264

This is a bit of an old story--she is dead now, but there is a tribute page set up by people who appreciate her work. See below:
http://www.hemlocksocietysandiego.org/sharlotte_hydorn.htm

The investigation led to Sharlotte. A week later, at 7:30 AM, she was visited by several armed FBI agents who proceeded to spend the day at her modest home confiscating her files, with the names of the people she had sent Exit Bags to, checks that were laying around, her sewing machine, and, later, to the Post Office where they confiscated the small white boxes with a butterfly on them, waiting to be delivered to people who had sent her a check. Later many of these people were visited by the FBI and local police in their cities and their countries, for "wellness checks" to make sure they were not suicidal. Many of these "authorities" got an earful about how these outspoken "victims" were in good health now and why they were so grateful to have their bag -- in case things got bad and they wanted to make a graceful exit.

Given that she did zero due diligence, some of those kits may have been bought by teens (or even pre-teens) who got dumped for the first time and can't imagine going on.

CiIantro posted...

This is a bit of an old story--she is dead now, but there is a tribute page set up by people who appreciate her work. See below:
http://www.hemlocksocietysandiego.org/sharlotte_hydorn.htm

Do we have to wonder how she died? >_>
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She commited suicide?
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What is the tubing for?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmptL7rXJw0
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Mead posted...

What is the tubing for?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_bag

Always been undecided on this sort of thing.

A part of me wants to say she's profiting off people who aren't able to think rationally and/or are under the influence of something. That is to say these people are victims.

Another part of me realizes that few people are entirely rational and society likes to respect individual choice when it comes to cigarettes, gambling, religion and politics, ect.