Hunger for knowledge about hastened death appears to be growing worldwide. Derek Humphry, author of five well-known books on assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia, most notably ‘Final Exit,‘ has noticed an upsurge in demand for his books worldwide which bodes well for the wider progress of the movement for the right to choose to die.
Humphry is the founder of the original Hemlock Society USA in l980 (dissolved in 2003) and today heads the Euthanasia Research & Guidance Organization (ERGO).
A publisher in Turkey has purchased the rights to ‘Jean’s Way’ in translation, somewhat surprising in a country overwhelmingly Muslim. ‘Jean’s Way’ — an account of how he helped his terminally ill first wife die — was first published in l978, and has never been out of print in English since.
The same book will soon appear in Spanish under the title “Jean Murio A Su Manera,’ published in Mexico City. And a South Korea publisher has recently purchased the translation rights to ‘Final Exit.’
In March, an Italian publisher — Eleuthera in Milan — published in translation Humphry’s ‘The Good Euthanasia Guide’ under the title “Liberi Di Morire: Le Ragioni Dell’Euthanasia”.
Eleuthera has kept ‘Final Exit’ in print in Italy [Eutanasia: Uscita Di Sicurezza] since it was first published in l991. It has just renewed the contract for a further ten years.
From the well-known publisher in Barcelona, Tusquets, ‘Final Exit’ has consistently been kept in print under the title ‘El Ultimo Recurso’ since l992, as well as ‘The Right to Die’ entitled ‘El Derecho A Morir: Comprender La Eutanasia.’
There have also been recent inquiries for these books from publishers in China, which is going through its own controversial debate on the ethics of euthanasia.
Tthe World Federation of Right to Die Societies, an umbrella group, has grown from zero in l976 when started to 38 groups in 23 countries.
