Update 025: Volume 16, Number 2 (2002)
Special Report: The Death that Backfired on the Right-to-Die Movement
Australian Nancy Crick, 70, was a lot of things to a lot of people. She was a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a devoted friend to many in and around her home town on Queensland’s Gold Coast. But, since last February, she was first and foremost the right-to-die movement’s poster patient—and it was her case that advocates felt would finally bring down Australia’s laws prohibiting euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Nancy Crick died from an intentional drug overdose on May 22, 2002, in the presence of 21 supporters. The facts surrounding her life and death are anything but clear-cut. Her case has turned into a bizarre mix of fact and fiction, truth and lies. One thing, however, is clear: Her death has boomeranged into a colossal public relations and credibility disaster for the pro-euthanasia camp.
Crick’s Internet diary
Last February, Crick went on-line with a diary aimed at generating public support for euthanasia legalization. The strategy was two-fold.
First, Crick publicly attacked specific government officials who are opposed to euthanasia, particularly Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and Minister of Ageing Kevin Andrews. Beattie had just announced in February that there was no way the government would legalize assisted suicide or euthanasia, and Andrews had been responsible for the 1997 overturning of the short-lived Northern Territory law permitting euthanasia.
Secondly, Crick presented her own medical condition as justification for legalizing assisted death. Two years ago, she wrote, she “was diagnosed with bowel cancer and given 3 years to live.” “I made a promise to myself not to live through another winter,” she explained. “I intend to keep that promise. Whether it happens by natural causes or by my hand remains to be seen.” [“The Diary of Nancy Crick,” nancycrick.com, 2/6/02. Hereafter cited as Diary.]
While the diary bore Crick’s name, it was, in fact, a group effort. Australia’s “Dr. Death,” Dr. Philip Nitschke, and his newly formed pro-euthanasia organization, Exit Australia, provided the computer and the web site software, as well as “Internet helpers” to actually post the diary entries. Nitschke was particularly helpful and supportive, Crick said, as was John Edge, also from Exit Australia, who served as her media front man and secretary. She was also receiving assistance from the Voluntary Euthanasia Society of Queensland. [Diary, 2/25/02, 3/26/02, and 4/23/02]
From Crick’s perspective, the diary web site accomplished its goals. “The diary has given me a chance to explain to everyone why I think we’ve got to make changes to the law,” she wrote. “I’ve been overwhelmed that my diary has been such a huge success and I’ve had letters of support from all round the world.” [Diary, 5/21/02] An earlier entry, however, revealed just how much the attention, notoriety, and the sense of purpose meant to Crick personally: “To all my Internet friends enquiring about my health all I can say is, going on the Internet has put the spark back in my life.” [Diary, 2/13/02]
Among her “Internet friends,” were noted euthanasia VIPs: Dr. Richard MacDonald, president of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies; Flemming Schollaart, head of the Danish Right to Die Society; Michael Irwin, president of the British Voluntary Euthanasia Society; and Derek Humphry, co-founder of the Hemlock Society, head of ERGO!, and author of the how-to-kill-yourself manual, Final Exit. [Diary, 2/16/02]
“Derek Humphry, the British/American author of the book ‘Final Exit’ got to hear about my internet site and sent me a message of support,” she proudly wrote. “This was followed on Monday by a mailed autographed copy of the book from none other than the author himself.” [Diary 4/16/02] In a later entry, Crick thanked Humphry “for writing such a useful book for people like me.” She said the “book told me what drugs I needed and how to peacefully end my life.” [Diary, 4/27/02]
Bowel cancer
Throughout the diary, Crick described her diminished life with bowel cancer. “I have bowel cancer and it is bloody painful.” [Diary, 2/20/02]
She had undergone three surgeries after she was diagnosed with cancer. “I was recently asked how much had my life style changed since the discovery of bowel cancer,” she wrote. “Things changed dramatically after the first bowel operation,” she explained, “no more window shopping, no swimming with my mates, no bingo, no longer free and easy, [sic] I became ever increasingly bonded to my toilet in a ‘Till death do us part’ relationship.” [Diary, 2/16/02]
The fear of being dependent and a burden—like so many of the assisted suicide victims in Oregon—was Crick’s underlying motivation for death. “Bowel cancer is a filthy disease made worse by constant vomiting and diarrhoea,” she wrote. “For now I can cope with the problem, however I know that at sometime in the near future I shall not be able to attend to matters of hygiene. The thought of some one else having to do this for me would take away my dignity and my self respect…. I will not allow this to happen.” [Diary, 3/14/02] Crick’s son, Wayne Crick, told reporters after her death that his mother had told him and his younger brother, Daryle, that she was determined to end her life to stop her suffering and to make sure that she did not become a burden on her family. [news.com.au, 5/24/02]
Orchestrated death campaign
There is no doubt that Crick’s death campaign was planned and orchestrated primarily by Dr. Philip Nitschke, John Edge, and others from Exit Australia. As reported in the last Update [2002, # 1, p. 7], Nitschke et al. organized a euthanasia rally in March to show support for Crick’s death wish. When she arrived at the rally, the crowd of 300 greeted her with a standing ovation. The media were in attendance, and dutifully reported on the rally. Crick was now a true celebrity.
Nitschke and Edge actively sought the media’s attention. They said TV stations from as far away at Japan and the U.S. wanted to film her death. [Gold Coast Bulletin, 3/26/02; news.com.au, 3/26/02]
Since aiding and abetting a suicide is punishable up to life in prison in Queensland, the folks at Exit Australia came up with a scheme to thwart attempts to prosecute anyone present when Crick died. Approximately 500 copies of her house key were made. Individual keys were sold for $20 (Australian). Anyone who purchased a key could claim that they were present when she died. Nitschke reasoned that the sheer number of claimants would make any investigation impossible. The money generated from the key sales would go directly into Exit’s coffers for future euthanasia promotions. [Diary, 3/7/02; Courier Mail (Brisbane), 3/27/02; Herald Sun, 5/25/02]
Concerned that his mother was being used by the euthanasia movement, Wayne recounted, “I said to her one day: ‘Mum, they are using you,’ and she said: ‘Yes, I know, but I’m using them.” [Courier Mail, 5/29/02]
An unexpected about-face?
Early on, Crick had picked April 10 for her “self-deliverance”—the day she would end her life by drug overdose. Then suddenly, in late March, she seemed to change her mind. She decided to give palliative care a chance to improve her condition. She entered the palliative care ward at St. Vincents Hospital in Robina. She did so, however, with some misgivings. She was worried about the appearance of changing her mind, that it would look like she was backing down from her original promise. But Dr. Nitschke encouraged her to enter the hospital program, which she did on April 3. “I’d hate to think she was ending her life without exploring and finding out what was possible,” he told the press. [Ananova, 3/27/02]
According to her diary, Crick felt that her pain treatment was going well. She was put on a morphine pump and given “pain patches,” and concluded that “one thing is certain, it’s a lot more comfortable with the patches and morphine pump than it was before I went into the hospital.” [Diary, 4/11/02] But the doctors at St. Vincent’s wanted her to have surgery because they thought that her real problem was that her bowel, in her words, “is all stuck together.” She refused the surgery. [Diary 4/9/02]
During her hospital stay, Crick received cards and letters from all over the world. Some were supportive, others were not. Reportedly, she received cards from staunch euthanasia advocates accusing her of wavering and reneging on her death promise. Crick discussed one such message in her diary; it was “from a V.E. [voluntary euthanasia] supporter stating that because I didn’t end my life on April 10th, I am no longer a heroine of the V.E. cause.” [Diary, 4/27/02]
Real motive revealed
Another entry after she returned home from the hospital reveals that Dr. Nitschke had an ulterior motive—other than Crick’s well-being—for encouraging her to enter the palliative care program with as much fanfare as possible. “Philip pointed out,” she wrote, “that most politicians, including the Federal Minister for Ageing Kevin Andrews and the Premier of Queensland Peter Beattie, rejected the need for V.E. Legislation claiming it was unnecessary, due to the continual improvements being made in palliative care. Had I ended my life without having explored this opportunity, I would have allowed politicians to claim I had chosen to end my life unnecessarily.” [Diary, 4/27/02; emphasis added.]
Back in favor
By early May, it was apparent that Crick was back on the death trail. “There’s been a lot of interest in things since I told everyone that I hadn’t changed my mind and still am going ahead with my plans,” she wrote, “even though I got real good help from the palliative care people in St. Vincent’s hospital. Still, fact is, I’ve tried real hard and now I think people should just let me do things