Respect for the life and death decisions of others
This week's post discusses the 2018 VSED death of Rosemary Bowen at age 94, based on the 16-minute film about her experience. (Continue reading ...)
Excerpts from the book “Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life”–Part 1
This week's post includes two vignettes from the book "Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life" by Dr. Jessica Nutik Zitter, MD, MPH. The book provides an insider’s view of intensive care in America and its impact on how we die. Part 2 will appear next week. (Continue reading ...)
Disability activist slams right-to-die (RTD) law proposed in Minnesota
The Minnesota State House of Representatives and Senate are considering companion End-of-Life Option Act bills, and committee hearings have begun. Since Minnesota is the state that will not permit even discussing end-of-life options among those who might want to decide the timing of their deaths with people who are experienced in how to achieve peaceful deaths on our own terms, it seems surprising that right-to-die (RTD) bills have been introduced in its legislature. Nevertheless, opponents of the RTD are amping up their arguments against such legislation. (Continue reading ...)
Options near the end of life–Exploring Parkinson’s
My wife and I had occasion to visit some old friends in California recently. We have known one member of the couple since 1962, when we started college together. We last saw them almost three years ago and have stayed in touch through email and phone calls. David has Parkinson's Disease (PD), so we knew that we would likely find him in worse shape than the last time we saw him, when his main symptom was a slight tremor in his hands and a shuffling gait when he walked. Lois had given us reports that he was working on therapies to counter the effects of the Parkinson's. (Continue reading ...)
Alternate Endings
A review of the new HBO documentary "Alternate Endings: Six New Ways to Die in America," 67 minutes in length, which began airing on August 14. (Continue reading ...)
North Carolina already may be a physician aid-in-dying state
Kathryn L. Tucker, the founder and director of the End of Life Liberty Project has concluded that physicians in North Carolina can provide assistance in dying (AID) to their mentally competent terminally ill patients who request it, subject to the prevailing standard of care, without risk of a viable criminal prosecution or medical practice disciplinary action. (Continue reading ...)
Why FEN should support the Disability Integration Act
You may not have heard of the Disability Integration Act of 2019, but it is worth the support of the Final Exit Network (FEN) and the individual support of all people who favor a self-controlled death (Continue reading ...)
A self-controlled death: More thoughts on the language we use
Suicide is not merely too harsh or blunt or embarrassing or unpleasant or offensive when applied to a self-controlled death. It is inaccurate based on its meaning and associations accumulated over time. The search for more accuracy in our descriptions continues. (Continue reading ...)
Opposing the right to die
One of the most organized efforts to defeat right-to-die (RTD) legislation wherever it is proposed is spear-headed by Not Dead Yet (NDY) under its current President, Diane Coleman. NDY claims to represent, or be representative of, at least 12 disability rights groups who oppose RTD legislation. Coleman's failed appeal to Maine Governor Janet Mills to veto the RTD law, passed narrowly by Maine's legislature, presents an outline of the arguments used to oppose such RTD laws. (Continue reading ...)
Focus on aid in dying in Spain
Asunción Álvarez del Río, PhD, a FEN member in Mexico City, reports on the status of aid in dying in Spain. (Continue reading ...)