No jail for aiding son's suicide.Montreal, QC -- A smiling Marielle Houle Marielle Houle is a Canadian woman who helped her ailing son Charles Fariala commit suicide in September 2004 as he struggled with the early stages of multiple sclerosis. The suicide announced her relief January 28, 2006, after being spared a jail term for helping her son commit suicide Verb 1. commit suicide - kill oneself; "the terminally ill patient committed suicide" kill - cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly; "This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank"; "The farmer killed a pig for the holidays" . In September 2004, Houle's 36-year-old son, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, swallowed a cocktail of drugs and then his mother held a plastic bag over his head to asphyxiate as·phyx·i·ate v. To induce asphyxia. as·phyx  i·a tion n. him. Houle has been "sentenced" to three years' probation. The maximum penalty for assisted suicide assisted suicide: see euthanasia. is 14 years in prison. In his ambivalent ruling, Judge Laramee left both sides of the "right"--to-die debate in confusion. Calling Houle's actions "very reprehensive rep·re·hen·sion n. The act of rebuking or censuring; reproval. rep re·hen and unlawful," he went on to say, "Considering the sacred nature of life, it is neither arbitrary nor unreasonable to ban suicide assistance, considering the possible abuses and the lack of proper safeguards to protect vulnerable people." According to the judge, Ms. Houle's "memory of her beloved son taking his last breath in a bag that she held on his head," is "without doubt the worst of sentences she could face" (Globe and Mail, Jan. 28, 2006). |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion