Year: 1996 Source: Crisis, v.17, no.2, (1996), p.51-52 SIEC No: 19960254

Hayes discusses the Stephen Senecal case and its effect on the legal issue of doctor-assisted suicde in the US. Senecal received a 25-year sentence for raping a 14-year old girl. In prison, he was abused by other inmates as he had molested a child. In May 1994, Senecal stopped eating, saying he wished to die. Eventually the Rhode Island Supreme Court stated that Senecal did not have the right to end his life by starvation. After the ruling, however, Senecal hanged himself. (1 ref.)