The Minnesota Supreme Court reversed the conviction of William Melchert Dinkel, former nurse; of helping two people, he met on the internet to commit suicide. The court reasoned that part of the state’s assisted-suicide law is unconstitutional. Specifically, the part of the law that pertains to “encouraging” suicide is unconstitutional due to free speech. However, the court held that the ban on “assisting” suicide is constitutional. The case was remanded to determine if Dinkel “assisted” in the suicides. Dinkel’s sentence has been put on hold pending the ruling of the appeal.
See Amy Forliti, Court Reverses Convictions in Aiding-Suicide Case, Mobile AP, Mar. 20, 2013.
Special thanks to Laura Galvan (Attorney, San Antonio, Texas) for bringing this article to my attention.
