"The holidays will come, whether we’re ready or not. The empty chair remains empty. But perhaps we can build a version of this season spacious enough to contain both joy and sorrow; one that treats opting out not as a…
Sean Davison has seen a lot of death. Over the last two decades, he has helped at least 33 people to kill themselves. “It’s a very important role,” he said. “I enjoy helping people to have the death they want…
With great courage and integrity, a UK Member of Parliament stood up for his constituents and his conscience. Now he has to defend himself from backlash by his own church. Click Here to What the Catholic Preist Said About Voting…
In 2023, more than 15,000 people were approved for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). Even more bear the weight of losing their loved one. Jeff Rideout is one of them. Click Here to Read the Article
Medical aid in dying laws exist in 11 states and Washington, D.C., in cases where a patient has less than six months to live, is cognitively sound to make decisions and can self-administer the drugs that will end their lives. But…
There are many who feel it is wrong for health care professionals to “play God” — to decide who lives and who dies. But one could argue that such circumstances go beyond “wrong” and “right.” It’s about acknowledging the individual’s autonomy…
May 19, 2025 This year, 27 bills were proposed in legislatures to legalize assisted dying in 18 states. This has been common over the years, as similar bills have failed to make it through the legislative process. Click Here to Read…
On May 20, surrounded by advocates, legislators and community members, Gov. Matt Meyer signed into law House Bill 140 − the Ron Silverio/Heather Block Delaware End-of-Life Options Act. The legislation is named after two advocates who died before the bill…
Julian Kingma travelled Australia photographing the lives and deaths of people who accessed assisted dying, and those who care for them. He thinks about death differently now. Click Here to Read the Article
This is an interesting article about Philip Nitschke and his invention, the Sarco euthanasia pod. Click Here to Read the Article
You may recognize Dr. Donnie Moore in this article. He is a former member of our board. Click Here to Read the Article
Sky News speaks to a UK woman who is being investigated by police for assisting the death of her husband at Dignitas. Louise Shackleton, whose husband suffered from Motor Neurone Disease, tells her story for the first time. Click here to…
'Their lives were getting harder, even with help. They did not want to go to a nursing home and neither wanted to live without the other. So they left this life together.’ Click here to see more
This is why we do what we do, and why your support of our educational programs matters. "Medical aid in dying (MAID for short) is legal in 10 states—including New Jersey—and Washington, D.C., covering one-fifth of the U.S. population. Despite increasing…
This is a data-based discussion of who chooses MAID, that addresses the arguments and dispels the myths against it. Last December, researchers in the U.S., Canada, and Europe published a study in JAMA Internal Medicine dedicated to understanding the positives and potential negatives of…
Derek Humphry, founder of the National Hemlock Society in 1980, died January 2, 2025, at age 94. Without Derek’s publications, his attempts to change the law to allow aid in dying, and without the powerful national Hemlock Society, there arguably…
Alleged suicide kit salesman files in Supreme Court to contest whether assisted suicide can ever be murder Lawyers representing the Ontario man accused of selling hundreds of suicide kits with deadly effect around the globe have filed to intervene in…
Legislators and doctors are struggling to define who should have the right to die. Milou Verhoof was a physically healthy teenager from the Netherlands when she asked to be allowed to die. For years she had struggled with borderline personality disorder,…
They checked into a motel room in upstate New York, with a gas canister and a plan to end her decades of physical pain. Read the full article on the New York Times' website.
A 77-year-old Dutch man accused of illegally aiding suicide has ended his life days before he was to be sentenced, the public prosecution office has said. Prosecutors had called for a 2.5 year custodial sentence against Tom de M., with…
A newly filed federal lawsuit against Oregon officials says the state’s first-in-the-nation psilocybin law discriminates against disabled individuals who can’t travel to designated service centers where the substance is administered, unfairly depriving them of potential benefits to health and well-being…
“We ask Delaware Catholics and all people of good will to contact Governor Carney and ask him to stand up for the elderly, sick and disabled, by vetoing this dangerous and immoral legislation,” Bishop William Koenig said in a June…
If you ever find it difficult to talk about your last wishes with your loved ones, this podcast from a mother and her son contains some surprising lessons. At age 88, the mother decided to end her life in Switzerland…
A citizens' initiative calling for the legalisation of euthanasia in Finland received the required 50,000 signatures in March and will now proceed to parliament to be debated by MPs. A previous attempt to legalise the practice via a citizens' initiative was rejected…
A new book is available by a Canadian MAID provider, Dr. Jean Marmoreo, is now available at your favorite bookseller. The book explores the stories of patients who asked Dr. Marmoreo to end their suffering and how this role has…
Suicide is a sensitive subject in America. People bristle at the thought. Though organizations like The Hemlock Society have tried to champion the right to decide one’s own fate, Americans have long resisted the notion. Those who support legal euthanasia…
California could become home to the nation’s most sweeping assisted dying policies with a new bill that would allow dementia patients and out-of-state residents to end their lives here. To read the full article Click Here HSSD endorses SB 1196 and…
Her decision to talk about her journey adds to the growing public pressure for reform – including from figures such as Jonathan Dimbleby, whose brother Nicholas recently died with motor neurone disease, and Esther Rantzen, who has lung cancer and…
Through the efforts of Hemlock Society members, who formed a grassroots politicaly lobbying organization called A Better Exit, State Senator Catherine Blackspear has introduced a bill that would expand access to Medical Aid in Dying. Many thanks to Marcia Hofer,…
"Here is what we learned: We are failing at dying. Instead of a time for growth, deep connection, reflection and deliverance, our ends of life are consumed by petty distractions and institutional imperatives. The dying people we interviewed had not…
Australia's former Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb, discusses dementia and the right to Voluntary Assisted Dying in an emotional and compelling interview. Listen to the 8-minute broadcast here: Click here
“I feel like it’s kind of beautiful, honestly, that you’ve lived your life together, you both happen to be gravely ill without a chance of getting better, you’re ready to go, and you would like to go together.” Quote from…
Miller, who voluntarily surrendered, pleaded not guilty, posted bail and returned to Arizona, according to his attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman. “He’s an 85-year-old man who simply wanted to provide comfort and counseling to someone who couldn’t live with the pain in…
Lauren's extreme suffering at only 28 years-old was more harrowing and devasting than her final message. It seems she was at peace for the first time in 5 years and was surrounded by love and acceptance when she died. Her…
At 52 years-old, she can no longer bear the constant suffering of her deteriorating body. Taking control of her death is the one thing she can do to allow her peace of mind and enjoyment in the final chapter of…
One Tennessee lawmaker wants to give Tennesseans the “right to die.” Rep. Bob Freeman (D-Nashville) filed a bill in the General Assembly this month that would create a process for those suffering terminal diseases to die in a “humane and…
Marcia Hofer is a life member of the Hemlock Society, dedicated political activist, and Founding President of A Better Exit (ABE). Her organization's mission is to expand California's End of Life Option Act to allow access to Medical Aid in…
A French politican speaks out to the world with her support for assisted dying as a controversy continues around the world. Her voice is important to all of us. Click here to read the article
A new documentary, currently streaming on Peacock, examines the prolonged legal battles and national controversy over whether to keep Terri alive in a persistent vegetative state or disconnect her feeding tube and allow her to die. Click here to read…
This is an interesting report from Germany on how caring for terminal cancer patients who choose VSED to hasten their death impacts their clinical caregivers. It's an area that may not be considered in the argument for Medical Aid in…
Click here to watch the video
When a compassionate, legal option is available, people are not forced to spend their last days, weeks, or months living with agonzing pain and fear. Good on ya, Australia! Click here to read full article
Panelists Stephen Latham, director of Yale’s Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, Thaddeus Pope, bioethicist and professor at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law and Jules Good, a disability justice activist and policy analyst, provided insight about MAID from various angles including…
A local San Diego news station aired a segment on differing viewpoints of Medical Aid in Dying. Dr. Bob Uslander is featured in the report and presents some important facts. Click here to watch the video
A Time to Die is a new documentary film currently airing in the UK on ITV1. The film begins by noting that over 425 million people around the world now have the right to some form of medically assisted suicide. In…
“People are extremely grateful that this service is available to them and are very grateful to the people who are providing that service, when it’s not an easy task for providers to provide assisted dying,” Click here to read full…
This development was shared with us by a member. It will be interesting to see if it has any effect on our movement. Click here to read full article
The New York Times Magazine’s Ethicist columnist on the complications of honoring a deathbed request. Click here to read full article
The video includes a great interview with our former board president, Barry Price! Click here to watch the video
An alarming Op Ed piece recently appeared in Newsweek (September 11, 2023) stating that California’s End of Life Option Act (EOLOA) violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to the author, a Connecticut attorney and disability rights activist, “Amid existing…
This is an excellent Op Ed by Peter Sussman published in the Orange County Register addressing the current lawsuit against California's End of Life Option Act by a coalition of disability rights groups. Click here to read full article
"For years now, I’ve been testifying before the Delaware General Assembly, pleading with lawmakers to pass “The Ron Silverio/Heather Block End of Life Options Law” (House Bill 140), which would allow terminally ill adults like me the option of medical…
Ken Watson was a Hemlock Society board member for several years specializing in filming our meetings, interviewing and often hosting our guests, and helping with all things video. His apartment in the Vi Retirement Community was a mini-recording studio with…
We thank our member who shared this news story with us. Click here to read full article
It is estimated that nearly 500,000 new cases of Alzheimer's disease will be diagnosed this year in the United States. Every 3 seconds, someone in the world develops dementia. MAID is not an option for these people. Have you thought…
A beautifully written and touching story. Click here to read full article
When her mother killed herself, Natasha Walter realised she had been living in denial. In a gripping memoir, she reveals how she came to understand the strong, rebellious woman behind this final act Click Here for Full Article
Understanding the difference between hospice and palliative care. Click here to watch the video
Dr. Stefanie Green, Canadian MAID provider and past HSSD speaker, debates Canada's MAID law with Dr. John Maher, a Canadian psychiatrist. The points raised are important and relevant to the U.S. because Canada's law is being closely watched as a…
"An oft-cited 2002 article created what’s been nicknamed the rule of thirds: one-third of those with anorexia recover completely, one-third improve and one-third remain chronically ill or die. Just as importantly, studies have found that the likelihood of recovery hasn’t changed…
This is a beautifully written farewell from a Spanish journalist to his readers before he traveled back to Spain to die by euthanasia. Click here for full story
A Minnesota woman with Alzheimer's disease chose to end her life by voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED) and wanted to make her story public. Click here for full story
A 47-year-old Colorado man suffering with ALS explains why he has chosen to use Medical Aid in Dying. Click here for full story
A young woman who is unable to move and battles 'excruciating' pain from a rare condition will use euthanasia laws to end her own life. Lily Thai, 23, will die on Wednesday via South Australia's voluntary assisted dying laws, which the state…
"In 2010 a review of 79 studies, involving almost 150,000 patients, found that the overall rate of survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest had barely changed in thirty years. It was 7.6%. Bystander-initiated CPR may increase those odds to 10%." The…
Click Here to see what doctor-administered euthanasia looks like in Canada.
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A Victoria's Secret model is the subject of online discussion after publicly sharing the journey of her Canadian grandmother, who is terminally ill and wants to pursue what she describes as euthanasia. Ali Tate Cutler traveled to Canada to visit her…
Please read this memo carefully to know your rights if you are a patient in a licensed California adult or senior care facility. EOLOA adult care licenses 04-19-2023
The state of Washington that first legalized human composting — otherwise referred to as natural organic reduction — in 2019. Colorado and Oregon legalized the green burial method in 2021. Vermont and California followed suit in 2022, and earlier this year, New York became the sixth state to allow…
The bill was prompted in part by a Connecticut woman with cancer who sued the state last summer claiming its residency requirement violated the Constitution’s commerce clause. She reached a settlement with the state earlier this year allowing her to…
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…
New York Times podcast on YouTube: Click Here to Listen
As most of you may recall, Daniel Ellsberg (born April 7, 1931) is an American political activist, and former United States military analyst. While employed by the RAND Corporation, Ellsberg precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret Pentagon study…
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…
This is a very information story by an 80 year-old journalist diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and COPD revealing her reasons for hiring a death doula. Click here for full story
A decision was reached in a Vermont court allowing a woman from Connecticut to receive MAID there. Oregon is the only other state that allows MAID for nonresidents. Click here for full story
After years of unchecked mergers, nearly half of Washington state’s hospital beds are in Catholic-affiliated facilities. There, Catholic rules inhibit — or prohibit — aid in dying, abortion, certain fertility treatments, and contraception. It’s not only women’s health issues. You…
Click Here to watch an interesting discussion of our February Right-to-Die film selection, The Leisure Seeker, by its two legendary stars, Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland. Join us for a free screening and discussion of this wonderful movie on Saturday,…
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This incident is a tragic example of why better end-of-life options are needed in all U.S. states. Click here for full story
Currently playing on Nextflix, Extremis is a 24-minute documentary that deals with real dying patients in a hospital who are on life support and the hard decisions their families have to make about whether to disconnect life support and allow…
Click here to watch the video
A very interesting story about the decision to use VSED. Note that a Catholic chaplain refused to minister to the patient because he had chosen to die this way. Click here to read full article