Jersey approves assisted dying law
A law to allow terminally ill adults the right to choose to end their own lives has been approved in Jersey. It marks the final legislative stage for the landmark proposals before they get Royal Assent in the UK -…
Philip Nitschke of Exit International shows footage of the first person to die in the Sarco capsule.
The 64-year old American woman voluntarily died in the "Tesla of euthanasia" in 2025 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. "...40 police all dressed in total hazard equipment because they didn’t know what this strange capsule in the forest was, to open it…
Radical choice: “I’m never going to a nursing home”
A clear description of the typical Voluntarily Stopping Eating & Drinking (VSED) experience, day by day. Also a cautionary tale to be sure to have an agreed upon plan should the person undergoing VSED request water. Read about the VSED…
Documentary: The Right to Die – Laura’s Final Journey to Switzerland
Laura, an 88-year-old woman, embarks on a final journey to Switzerland to take control of her own death. Through the eyes of her daughter and granddaughter, both filmmakers, this documentary captures Laura’s fearless decision, their emotional turmoil, and the ethical…
Tuscany becomes the first region to approve assisted suicide in Roman Catholic Italy
Tuscany approved a bill regulating medically assisted suicide Tuesday, becoming Italy’s first region to approve a right-to-die law in the Roman Catholic country after the constitutional court effectively legalized the procedure in 2019. Click here to read the article
California’s Assisted Suicide Debate Deepens: Senator Pushes for Dementia Inclusion
California State Senator Catherine Blakespear is reigniting the debate over assisted suicide by seeking to expand the state’s End of Life Option Act (EOLOA). The 2016 law, which allows terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to…
Delaware Governor Carney vetoes Medical-Aid-in-Dying legislation
Governor John Carney Friday vetoed legislation that would have allowed people with a terminal illness who are able to make sound decisions for themselves to get access to medication that would end their lives. House Bill 140 received final legislative approval…
Citizens’ jury in England backs assisted dying for terminally ill
A citizens’ jury has overwhelmingly backed the legalisation of assisted dying for terminally ill people after hearing from experts over a period of eight weeks. Twenty out of 28 jurors based in England agreed the law should be changed, with seven disagreeing…
Euthanasia in India: An Overview
Euthanasia in the simplest sense involves intentionally ending a person's life to relieve ongoing suffering such as suffering from an irrecoverable or an incurable state of being and is a complex and evolving issue in the Indian landscape. While death…
Report recommends Australia’s Northern Territories government legalize voluntary assisted dying, after months of consultation
A report into the development of voluntary assisted dying laws in the Northern Territory has recommended the government legalise the practice in line with other Australian jurisdictions. Released on Wednesday, the NT government-commissioned report summarised the findings of an independent…
France to open debate on legalizing assisted suicide
French President Emmanuel Macron on July 23, 2024 announced a national debate on end-of-life options that will include exploring the possibility of legalizing assisted suicide. A 2016 French law provides that doctors can keep terminally ill patients sedated before death…
Vatican publishes ‘lexicon’ on end-of-life issues
The Pontifical Academy for Life released a new booklet to aid in the public debate on end-of-life issues. The booklet, published only in Italian July 2, offers clear definitions and the Catholic Church's teaching on bioethics. The goal of the…
UK mother admits ending life of terminally ill son 41 years ago
A mother has admitted giving her terminally ill seven-year-old son a large dose of morphine to stop his suffering and "quietly end his life". Antonya Cooper, from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, said her son Hamish had stage 4 cancer and was in…
Staten Islander with ALS among those condemning N.Y. lawmakers for not passing Medical Aid in Dying Act: ‘I really needed it’
It’s been just over three weeks since the New York state Legislature again failed to pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act, but the sting is still fresh for advocates of the proposed legislation. The act — which was first introduced…
French parliament debates assisted dying bill
In May, France's parliament began debating a controversial right-to-die bill backed by President Emmanuel Macron, who has made it a flagship reform of his second term. If the bill becomes law -- at the end of discussions likely to last…
UK daughter ‘considers breaking law’ to fulfill mother’s assisted dying wish
Dame Esther Rantzen’s daughter has said she is considering breaking the law to aid her mother’s wish of assisted dying.The 83-year-old, who fronted the BBC show That’s Life!, is one of the leading advocates for assisted suicide in the UK after being diagnosed…
Dying together: Why a happily married couple decided to stop living
In the Netherlands, this is known as duo-euthanasia. It’s legal, and it’s rare - but every year, more Dutch couples choose to end their lives this way. Jan and Els were married for almost five decades. In early June, they…
‘I want a choice’: terminally ill women urge UK House of Commons vote on assisted dying
Two women with incurable cancer are urging the next UK prime minister to allow a vote on assisted dying in the first 100 days of the new parliament and free them from fear of a painful death. Sophie Blake, 51,…
Delaware medical aid in dying bill heads to governor’s office for action
Legislation legalizing medical aid in dying in Delaware is headed to the governor’s desk after narrowly passing in the Delaware State Senate. The bill passed the Delaware Senate on an 11-10 vote June 25th after failing 9-9 last week. Senate…
Scottish Parliamentarian Liam McArthur MSP introduces Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) Bill
March 27, 2024 - Scottish Parliamentarian Liam McArthur MSP introduced Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) bill on March 27, 2024. It will allow terminally ill adults in Scotland, who are eligible, to lawfully request, and be provided with, assistance by…
Delaware advances medical aid-in-dying bill
In Delaware, a Medical Aid in Dying bill just passed the state House of Representatives and is now up for consideration by the state Senate. If you live in Delaware, it's time to call, write, and email your state senator…
The Facts About Nitrogen Hypoxia by Dr. Philip Nitschke
After the botched execution by Nitrogen gas in Alabama, please read this article by Dr. Philip Nitschke, co-author of The Peaceful Pill Handbook, to learn what Alabama got wrong and how the press is misreporting it. "Nitrogen is an inert…
Hospices not complying with state law
Sixteen months after California began requiring health care providers, including home health agencies and hospices, to post on their websites their medical aid in dying policies, only a handful are complying. Click here to read KPBS's story on hospices not…
Hospice for Jimmy Carter – Letter to the S.D. Union Tribune by Faye Girsh
In 2015, Former President Jimmy Carter announced he had been diagnosed with metastatic melanoma (cancer) - found during a surgery on his liver - that had spread to his brain. After a series of hospital stays, he chose to enter…
How Hospice Became A For-Profit Hustle
An eye-opening examination of the profit-driven hospice industry: Click Here to read a New Yorker (pay walled) article For more information on San Diego area hospices and which ones have complied with the state law on posting their medical aid…
Hospices Have Become Big Business for Private Equity Firms, Raising Concerns About End-of-Life Care
"That makes dementia patients particularly profitable. Doctors have a harder time predicting whether a patient with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia has less than six months to live, the eligibility criterion for enrollment. For-profit hospices enroll those patients…
Death With Dignity Podcast
We'd like to share this great series of podcasts recorded by Andrew Flack in Oceanside, CA. He describes his project as "the story of a 33 year old man with terminal cancer exploring the physical, social-emotional, and spiritual elements correlated…
New Video: A Visit to Pegasos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giTet2PLneU In this video, Christie shares the personal story of her mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at age 88. With no prospect of improvement, Christie's mother decided to end her life at Pegasos in Switzerland. Christie has carefully…
Assisted dying now legal in New Zealand, End of Life Choice Act a ‘huge relief’ for some
“We have to remember people who are eligible are already dying, this is just the way that they die – not the fact they will die.” https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/euthanasia-debate/300443715/assisted-dying-now-legal-in-new-zealand-end-of-life-choice-act-a-huge-relief-for-some
These people want to die. Will their countries allow euthanasia?
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/people-want-die-will-countries-allow-euthanasia-rcna3307?fbclid=IwAR1JowKHVmEkCH_FAKZy-7UVmpboWLHmdnyjP8LjtfT3H-Q0-wPTfPM2QpE
California Passes Major Hospice Reform Laws
https://hospicenews.com/2021/10/05/california-passes-major-hospice-reform-laws/
That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour by Sunita Puri
At the end of her training in internal medicine, Dr Puri was doubting the professional choice she had made, questioning if medicine was really what she wanted to do with her life. At the suggestion of a colleague, Dr Puri…
Limitations of Palliative Care
Retired Palliative Care Nursing Supervisor Beverley Young talks about the limitations of Palliative Care in New Zealand
Rosemary Bowen’s Self-Directed Death by Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED)
94-year old Rosemary Bowen experienced a loss of independence after a spinal compression fracture. She was clear throughout her life and after the compression fracture that once she was unable to care for herself she wanted to end her life…
Canadian Medical Assistance in Dying: Dr Ellen Wiebe
A Friends at the End talk by Dr Ellen Wiebe, a Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) provider from Canada. Dr. Wiebe talks about the criteria for physician aid in dying in Canada and tells us about some of her patients,…
It’s My Right: The Handmade Death of Herta Sturmann
This video shows a woman with congestive heart failure who chose to die by Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED), or Sterbefasten or Death Fast, as known in Germany. She died at home after 10 days, with round-the-clock care from…
How to Die in California
How to Die in California - expert speakers addressed the fundamentals of hospice, medical aid in dying, the Final Exit Network, and other exit options. The program begins with expert speakers addressing the fundamentals of hospice, medical aid in dying, the Final Exit Network, and other exit options. We see a compelling documentary of a 75 year old San Francisco resident using California's End of Life Option Act.
The Inescapable Truth
Opponents of assisted dying often use as an argument that assisted dying is not necessary because good quality palliative care can alleviate suffering at end of life. This report from England concludes that 17 people a day suffer at the…
Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking Is Legal—and Ethical—for Terminally Ill Patients Looking to Hasten Death
by Thaddeus Mason Pope, J.D. The Asco Post, June 25, 2018 Attorney and law professor Thad Pope discusses the fact that Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED) is legally more accessible to terminally ill patients than Medical or Physician Aid…
John L’Heureux on Death and Dignity
Writer John L’Heureux describes coming down with Parkinsons, and his decision to use California's End of Life Option Act to end his life.
Hospice didn’t stop suffering. But what it did for us was priceless.
by Dheeraj Raina, MD, psychiatrist - Kevin MD - March 27, 2019 A physician explains the good death and the comfort that hospice provided to his young wife and their family as she was dying from cancer. "Two of the…
You are in the Process of Dying
by Dan Ayre - This.org - March 25, 2019 A husband relates the story of his wife's experience with Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) in Manitoba, Canada. In Canada, different provinces handle MAID differently. Two things stand out: 1. In…
California’s Right-To-Die Law Still Has Some Kinks, Hearing Finds
By Sammy Caiola - capitol pubic radio - January 29, 2018 "Barbara Koenig, head of bioethics at the UC San Francisco, said bureaucracy can sometimes keep patients from exercising choice at life’s end. It’s a timing problem. If their disease…
Belgian Catholic psychiatric hospitals ‘adjust’ their view of euthanasia
Belgian Catholic Brothers of Charity will allow euthanasia to take place in their psychiatric hospitals. “We take seriously unbearable and hopeless suffering and patients’ request for euthanasia."
The Doctors Who Invented a New Way to Help People Die
Excellent overview of how the drug formulas under Death with Dignity Laws came about. by Jennie Dear, The Atlantic, Jan 22, 2019
Lecretia Seales’ widower makes his case for death with dignity
by Matt Vickers - North & South, March 20, 2019 In Switzerland, providing the means for a person to take their own life is legal if done from non-selfish motives. '“Giving access to assisted dying is, in fact, suicide prevention…
Preparing for Dementia and Avoiding Medically Futile Care
Video of HSSD general meeting. A world-renowned expert (ThadPope) on many areas of health law & bioethics speaks about options and limitations for persons suffering from dementia.
Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED)
Sept. 16, 2018 Speaker: Dr. Bob Uslander Dying Wish, the award winning 20-minute documentary was shown. It chronicles the journey of an eighty-year old retired surgeon with end-stage cancer, on hospice, who chooses to stop eating and drinking with the…
What We Know About The People Who Have Used California’s Assisted Suicide Law
By Michelle Faust - laist June 25, 2018 "Dr. David Wallenstein, a palliative care doctor at UCLA Medical Center, said, "my impression is that people who tend to think in terms of aid-in-dying medications probably are people who really need…
Maia Calloway. From the Dying in the Americas Conference – March 22-24, 2018
Sponsor: Final Exit Network A Colorado woman with progressive multiple sclerosis turns to Life Circle in Switzerland to end her life with peace and dignity.
I’m a doctor. Here’s what it’s like helping terminally ill patients end their lives
By Catherine Sonquist Forest - Vox, Sep 21, 2017 "Aid in dying has been legal in California for a year now. Many of my patients have been waiting for this." Read More
Why few California doctors are assisting deaths for terminally ill
By Tracy Seipel - Bay Area News Group September 2016 "It’s a scene being played out throughout California, as scores of terminally ill patients are learning to their dismay — and outrage — that the state’s new aid-in-dying law comes…
What I Learned Helping My Sister Use California’s New Law to End Her Life
First woman to take advantage of California's End of Life Option Act ? Opinion Piece by Kelly Davis - Voice of San Diego, August 9, 2016 Woman describes the experience of her sister, who had ALS, taking advantage of the…
Diane Rehm: Do Americans Have A Right To Die?
NPR Host Diane Rehm discusses her book, On My Own and about how the death of her husband inspired her to take up a controversial cause: the right to die in America. She is fierce advocate for the right to…
Diane Rehm shares the painful story of her husband’s death
PBS News Hour. March 3, 2016 Diane Rehm's husband, who had Parkinson's, was not eligible medical aid dying. He chose to voluntarily stop eating and drinking in order to end his life. "I rage at a system that wouldn't allow…
Final Exit
No one disputes that it’s against the law to take another person’s life, but is it against the law to sit with someone and watch while they commit suicide? We meet an elderly woman who sneaks around the country as…
Dying Wish
Documentary of the process of dying by Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking. It follows a retired surgeon with end-stage cancer on hospice who chose this method to end his life. Click here for information from the producers about the film…
Even the best palliative care can’t always help
Neil Frances explains even the best palliative care possible simply can't help alleviate intolerable suffering for some.
Will this Death be an “Irrational Suicide” or a “Voluntary Death”?
by James Leonard Park Criteria for differentiating rational from irrational self-delivered death.
Faye Girsh’s Report of the April 2011 trial of the state of Arizona vs. Dr. Larry Egbert and Frank Langsner who were being tried for providing assistance to Phoenix resident Jana Van Voorhis who died after receiving information and support from the Final Exit Network
Day 1 -- Monday, April 4, 2011 Jury selection begins this morning in the historical case of Arizona vs Dr. Larry Egbert (who was the Medical Director for the Final Exit Network) and Frank Langsner (who was an Exit Guide…
Letting Go-What should medicine do when it can’t save your life?
By Atul Gawande - The New Yorker - Aug. 20, 2010 "Our medical system is excellent at trying to stave off death with eight-thousand-dollar-a-month chemotherapy, three-thousand-dollar-a-day intensive care, five-thousand-dollar-an-hour surgery. But, ultimately, death comes, and no one is good at…
Are you Ready to Die ?
A quiz that tests whether you might be a candidate for an assisted, hastened death.