George Exoo (born August 22, 1942) is an Ohio-born former Unitarian Universalist minister and assisted suicide activist. He was originally a Methodist and has a doctorate in music history from University of California, Berkeley. He became a Unitarian Universalist minister in 1973, but is apparently no longer in ministry.
He began his involvement with assisted suicide after a member of his congregation made remarks about a man he'd counselled had committed suicide.[1] In 1982 he joined the Hemlock Society and later he joined Final Exit Network.[1] The first suicide he assisted occurred in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1995.[2] He claims to have assisted in 102 more suicides since that one.
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In January 2002 the Irish authorities wanted him for assisting the suicide of Rosemary Toole. The United States arrested him, but ultimately refused extradition on the grounds that Irish and American law in this area were not compatible.[3] Exoo declined to attend the inquest into Toole's death on legal advice.[4] He stated, however, that it was unlikely he would work with Irish citizens in the future, as he considers it too dangerous.[4]
Although he has supporters, there have been concerns within the right-to-die community that Exoo assisted suicides of individuals who did not have terminal or debilitating illness.[5]
Jon Ronson profiled him in Channel 4 documentary Reverend Death.[5][6] Exoo claimed to have helped 103 people commit suicide, although Jon Ronson claims that most of Exoo's clients were suffering from depression or psychosomatic illnesses, not terminal illnesses, including Toole.[5]
Exoo bought a property in Gastonia, North Carolina in 2007, with the intent of using part of it as a place for terminally ill patients to end their lives.[1][7]