Newsgroups like ASH work something like an online bulletin board. Anyone with a computer and some basic Internet knowledge can gain free access to thousands of messages about suicide. And they can post their own messages.
An archived section of the site called "The Methods File" contains a list of recipes, recommendations and tips on the best and worst ways to commit suicide.
Suzanne's dad believes one of those messages taught her how to illegally obtain and use cyanide to end her life. And he was horrified to learn that an older ASH member who goes by the alias "River" may have helped her.
"Suzy had me proof-read her notes and we went over all the details of her exit, just to be safe," reads one ASH message from "River."
But "River" disputes his role in Suzanne's death.
"No one in ASH encourages anyone else to commit suicide. ASH is pro-choice," he wrote in an e-mail to CNN.
"Geo" is another ASH member. He was the same age as Suzanne when he joined the group last year and thinks suicide groups like ASH actually keep people from committing suicide.
In fact, "Geo" credits ASH with saving his life.
"If it weren't for it, I think the chances of me having committing suicide would have been greater," he said. "Having a place where you can write those thoughts, get them out of your head. It can be very therapeutic."
But Suzanne's dad thinks otherwise.
"That's not pro-choice," Mike Gonzales said of the site. "That's brainwashing. And they are not being held responsible."
Responsibility? How the hell did he not know that his daughter had been thinking about suicide for two months? What the fuck kind of parenting is that?
We should throw his ass in jail for even suggesting that freedom of speech be so controlled that people can't express anything other than "normal" thoughts and behaviors. That just what the internet needs...to become fucking "Friends" from end to end.
