Final Exit Counselor

Having an impressive job title can be a boost to the ego, especially when the jumble of words manages to disguise the actual duties. Take "final exit counselor" for example. You'd never think that translated into murderer, would you?

George Exoo is, or was until he resigned, a Unitarian minister who served congregations in South Carolina and West Virginia. Somehow or other, his religious convictions led him into a side line, and he set himself up as a final exit counselor. His duties? To help kill those who wished to die.

Assisted suicide was a hot topic several years ago, and it is something murmured amongst medical professionals who deal with terminal cases. For physicians, the discussion centers around pain amelioration and how much opiates to give someone to relieve pain without killing them, which would lead to a medical malpractice suit. Dying and hurting, are you? Your doctor's got a dilemma on his hands and you may end your days on earth in agony. Or you may close your eyes in a morphine haze and fade away peacefully.

Should you find yourself in the 'terminal but low on pain killers' end of the spectrum, you might want to call in a final exit counselor to put you out of your misery. Maybe you've got a serious illness like Huntington's chorea or ALS. But what if you're just feeling low? The problem is, with such a thoroughly unregulated and marginally illegal operation, you might be calling in the counselor when you really need to see a psychiatrist to deal with severe depression. Irish prosecutors believe that Rosemary Toole fit the latter category, that of a woman who wanted to kill herself but who could have benefited from mental health treatment, as she had no terminal illness.

George Exoo travelled to Ireland and helped Ms. Toole to die. He said he only gave her advice about how to do it. Some are saying that he pushed her to do it, took her last ciggie from her lips and insisted that she put the plastic bag over her head. Actively participating is not counseling; in the eyes of the Garda, it's murder. Ireland has asked the United States to extradite Mr. Exoo so that he can face a murder charge.

Currently, the counselor is sitting in a West Virginia jail, and there's a rumor floating about that he's had a long chat with his cell mate. The topic of that conversation may be enough to fit the requirements for extradition, and Mr. Exoo may return to Ireland. He will not, then, be coming home any time soon.

Portlaoise is lovely this time of year, although it's hard to really enjoy the view from a prison window.