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Judge Blocks Onstage Suicide Show


10-02-03 Keavin
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Another legal roadblock has been thrown in the path of the rock group Hell On Earth, that plans to stage a suicide during a show this Saturday in Florida, in what they claim is to bring awareness to right-to-die issues. 

Today (Thurs Oct 2nd) Circuit Court Judge John C Lenderman issued an injunction on the band that prohibits them from having the onstage suicide during their concert, according to the Miami Herald. The St. Petersburg city council passed an ordinance last week banning the practice of staging a suicide for commercial or entertainment purposes but the leader of the group Billy Tourtelot vowed that the show would go on in defiance of that city ordinance. The city council then turned towards the courts for help. 

Once it was learned that the group had planned to have a terminally ill person commit suicide onstage during their concert, the venue where the show was originally scheduled to take place pulled the plug and other venues in the city turned the group away. 

However, Tourtelot said that the band still planned to hold the show as a private function within city limits and they would broadcast it from the web. (see story

There is no word yet from the band�s camp if they will defy this new injunction and proceed with their plans.  Many speculate that it is just a publicity stunt but the officials felt they had to take action just in case it was not.  
 


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