While FEN’s mission has remained the same, there have been many changes to the Final Exit Network (FEN) organization and practices since it was founded in 2004. The original FEN volunteers were dedicated and compassionate people, but as with many new organizations, had more enthusiasm than formal structure and rules.

FEN ran into some legal issues in its first 4-5 years. Most of these issues were the result of poor communications and practices. We needed better training and clearer procedures and policies. And we needed to be more sensitive to how the client’s family felt about hastening death.

Over the years, FEN has developed a comprehensive handbook for all of its procedures and policies. It is updated and approved by the Board on an annual basis. We now hold a two and a half day in person training program for all who are accepted into the guide program. We have been very fortunate to have many bright and compassionate people volunteer to do this important work. It can take up to 18 months for a person to become a senior guide after the initial training.

FEN has a strong Board, outstanding Executive Director and Director of Guide Services and many well-trained compassionate guides. FEN is also in good financial shape and had its first external audit two years ago.

However, there is still much work to be done. The number of people who apply for our services is still small. I believe there are several reasons for this:

1. Most people, even those suffering, don’t want to die before they have to do so.
2. People who are courageous enough to consider hastening their death have trouble using our inert gas method, physically or emotionally.
3. There is still much societal pressure against hastening death. Most people feel that anyone who hastens their death is either depressed or mentally unstable.
4. Most people do not know that Final Exit Network exists to provide education to qualified people on all legal peaceful ways to hasten death, including going to Switzerland.

What are we doing to address these issues?

1. FEN will continue working with organizations in the right to die movement to give us more credibility, visibility and clients. We are partners with The  Death with Dignity National Center and with End of Life Washington and End of Life Choices California, who both refer clients to us if they don’t meet the requirements of the MAID (medical aid in dying) laws.
2. We hope to start a national discussion about the tradeoffs of hastening death vs moving into a medically diminished life with high financial and emotional costs. We are also trying to start a conversation with people living with dementia to ascertain how they feel about hastening their death. We think the costs and emotional impacts of living with dementia should be discussed. We hope one of the outcomes of this research might be to expand the current MAID laws to include dementia, since it is a terminal disease.

Finally, we will continue in our outreach efforts to encourage people to discuss their end-of-life choices with their families and friends and develop plans. The more we discuss our choices in dying, the more acceptable hastening death will become.