ABSTRACT
In many cases of assisted suicide, people are often present as the person dies by suicide. These witnesses are typically significant others, but they may also be friends and helping staff members at clinics established to assist suicidal individuals. In recent years, several countries and a few American states have passed laws to permit assisted suicide and physician-assisted suicide. Typically, the individual has to have a terminal illness and be free of psychiatric disorder, and the decision has to be reviewed by a panel of qualified professionals. Sandra Bem and Brittany Maynard husband made her suicide a public process for their family and friends. As she approached the age of seventy, Bem's cognitive abilities began to decline severely, and she could no longer always recognize her relationship to her daughter or sister. Many individuals attempt to kill themselves in the presence of others. If the method is not very lethal, then the others can intervene and prevent suicide.
