End-of-life Care And Other Palliative Solutions.
Understanding the difference between hospice and palliative care. Click here to watch the video
A Fact Checked Debate on Euthanasia in Canada
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…
Some anorexia patients want the right to die. A few doctors are willing to listen
"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…
“When You Read This Article, I Will be Dead”
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
Alzheimer’s Death by VSED
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
Good Report on MAID in Colorado
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
Landmark moment for Australia as young woman, 23, prepares to take her own life under euthanasia laws because of disorder that keeps her in a constant state of ‘excruciating pain’
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…
For many, a ‘natural death’ may be preferable to enduring CPR
"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…
Artist chose medically-assisted death and wanted Canadians to witness the entire process
Click Here to see what doctor-administered euthanasia looks like in Canada.
New York State: Exploring the ‘Death with Dignity’ debate for the terminally ill
Click here for full story
Victoria’s Secret Model Becomes Lightning Rod in Euthanasia Debate
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…
Important Information Regarding California Adult and Senior Care Licensees and the End of Life Option Act
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
Here’s where human composting is legal, and the states still considering it
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…
Vermont Gov. Scott signs bill to allow medical aid in dying for nonresidents
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…
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…
They’re Severely Mentally Ill. Is It Ethical to Help Them Die?
New York Times podcast on YouTube: Click Here to Listen
Daniel Ellsberg Diagnosed With Terminal Cancer – A Letter to the Editor by Faye Girsh
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…
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…
I’m a Solo-Ager and I’ve Hired a Death Doula
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
Vermont permits woman from another state to end her life via assisted suicide
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
Catholic health care restrictions lead WA Legislature to eye changes
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…
Helen Mirren & Donald Sutherland Discuss “The Leisure Seeker”
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,…
Why writing a will and planning your death is a lifetime gift to loved ones
Click here for full story
Wife fatally shoots terminally ill husband at Daytona Beach Hospital, Police Say
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
Netflix Short Documentary – Extremis
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…
Ondi Timoner Talks About Her New Documentary “Last Flight Home”
Click here to watch the video
A Son’s Decision to Help His Father Die
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
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…
World Federation of Right to Die Societies Interactive Map
WFRtDS worldquotes DEF Click on the pictures of people to read their RTD story.
Widow who paid £10,000 for terminally ill husband to die in Switzerland calls on UK to change its euthanasia laws
'The shame about it is that had the UK law been in place then those four years would have been so much more pleasant because he would have known that when he couldn't cope with it no longer he could…
Dr. Phil Show On the Right to Die Aired Oct 13, 2022
Among the guests were Philip Nitschke, founder of Exit International, Thaddeus Pope, expert on medical law and clinical ethics, and Dan Diaz who traveled to Oregon with his terminally wife, Brittany Maynard, for a peaceful death after her battle with…
World Right to Die Day November 2 and World Federation Conference
World Right to Die Day is celebrated November 2nd in participating countries around the world. The celebration was founded in France at the World Federation of Right to Die Societies Conference in 2008 and has since spread to other parts…
Human Rights Court Sides With Belgium in Euthanasia Case
The Belgian state didn't violate the rights of a person suffering from depression when it accepted her decision to go ahead with a euthanasia procedure, the European Court of Human Rights found Tuesday. Judges ruled in favor of Belgium in…
California will allow human composting as alternative to cremation or burial
Click here for more information
Patient sues Vermont over assisted suicide restrictions
A terminally-ill Connecticut woman is suing Vermont to drop their residency requirement for physician-assisted suicide. Bridgeport resident Lynda Bluestein, in addition to a Vermont physician, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Burlington last month that argues the…
Faye Girsh Will Speak at the La Jolla Riford Senior Center 9/22/22 from 1 – 3 pm
Choice, Dignity and Control at the End of Life This two-hour discussion group will give you the tools for making and communicating your choices at the end of life. We will review documents you'll need (such as Advance Directive, POLST)…
France to open debate on legalizing assisted suicide
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a national debate meant to broaden end-of-life options. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/france-open-debate-legalizing-assisted-suicide-89824039
Jean-Luc Godard chose to end life through assisted dying, lawyer confirms
Jean-Luc Godard, the maverick French-Swiss director who revolutionised post-war cinema in Europe, died by assisted dying, his lawyer has confirmed. The medical report on the death of the 91-year-old director said he had chosen to end his life. He “had recourse to…
An Interview with Joanne Tubbs Kelly, Author of “Walking Him Home: Helping My Husband Die with Dignity”
Click here to read the interview. https://www.5280.com/2022/08/author-joanne-tubbs-kelly-talks-about-helping-her-husband-die-with-dignity-in-colorado/
Voice Your Choice to Broaden California’s End of Life Option Act
Click here to learn more about the effort to expand the California EOLOA and how you can help. https://broadenchoice.org/
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…
Terminally-ill Connecticut grandma who’s suing Vermont over rule banning visitors from it’s assisted dying program says mom’s horrific cancer death inspired her lawsuit
"It is the second legal filing of its kind in America, with Oregon previously agreeing that they would allow people from out of state to access their facilities without prosecuting them for breaching the residency stipulation." Click here to read…
The Case for Medical Aid in Dying
A Maryland psychiatrist presents rational arguments in favor of medical aid in dying. Full Article
Aggregating 23 Years of Data on Medical Aid in Dying
Over 23 years, 5329 patients died by MAID, while 8451 received a prescription. More men than women died by MAID (53.1% vs. 46.9%), and non-Hispanic white individuals (95.6%) died by MAID more than other racial and ethnic groups. The median age…
Switzerland helped my wife die with dignity; she should have been given relief here
Click here for full story Many thanks to Maia for sharing this story with us.
Hearing Today on California EoLOA Lawsuit
A hearing today will decide if California's End of Life Option Act will be put on hold while a lawsuit by the Christian Medical and Dental Association moves forward. The plaintiffs argued the law violates their religious rights by forcing…
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…
Denying Patients Physician-Assisted Suicide is a Civil Rights Issue
Please take a few minutes to read this editorial and watch the compelling video that was sent to us by Maia Calloway. https://progressive.org/latest/denying-patients-assisted-suicide-civil-right-wilder-220623/
Judge Rules California Aid-In-Dying Law Does Not Discriminate Against Disabled People
Very disappointing news. A federal judge said he cannot allow an Americans with Disabilities Act carveout to California’s assisted suicide law that would let doctors assist people too weak or disabled to ingest end-of-life medication, finding that such a provision…
What Oncology Nurses Should Understand About Medical Aid in Dying
Should oncology nurses only be familiar with these laws if they live in a state where it is legal? How might nurses support a patient who wants MAiD, yet lives in a state where it is not an option? Click here…
Sean Davison is Free and Launches a New Book
On 20 June 2022, former President of the WFRtDS Professor Sean Davison concluded his sentence of 3 years house arrest in Cape Town after taking a ‘guilty’ plea deal for the ‘murders’ (assisted suicides) of Anrich Burger, Justin Varian and…
Roundtable Death Cafe on June 29th
The Completed Life Initiative is launching a new Round Table Death Cafe series via Webex beginning Wednesday, June 29th at 9:00am Pacific Time/12:00pm Eastern Time. For more information and to register for free, please click here: https://completedlife.org/roundtable-death-cafe/
Italy Sees First Assisted Suicide After Years of Court Battles
Many thanks to Sharon for bringing this news story to our attention. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/975717?src=wnl_edit_tpal&uac=293249FX&impID=4346246&faf=1
Quebec Bill Would Enable MAiD for Alzheimer’s
A bill proposed in Quebec would include dementia patients in legal assisted dying. It will be interesting to watch how it goes as a potential model for legislative change in U.S. states. It's good to see our friend Kelly Bone…
California Dept. of Public Health EOLOA Forms and Information
The California Department of Health Center for Health Statistics and information has an informative webpage on the End of Life Option Act for patients and providers. It includes a downloadable form for Patient's Request for Aid in Dying. Click here…
New Survey Findings on Nurses’ Values and Perspectives on MAID
The American Nurses Association’s Center For Ethics and Human Rights and the University of California, San Diego Health released the results from two new comprehensive studies of more than 2,374 nurses in the United States on Medical Aid in Dying…
Upcoming TV Show on Swedish Death Cleaning
NBC’s Peacock streaming service has ordered unscripted series The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, which is based on the best-selling book by Margareta Magnusson. According to Peacock, the series will star a “Swedish Death Cleaner” who will help people who “are at a…
State Right-to-Die Statutes
Death with Dignity is a national leader in end-of-life advocacy and policy reform. Their website provides an interactive map of the U.S. with current information on their RTD laws and the status of pending legislation. Click Here for State Statues
Colorado Composts its First Human Remains
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/colorado-composts-its-first-human-remains-180979771/
Oregon ends residency rule for medical aid in dying
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/oregon-ends-residency-rule-medically-assisted-suicide-rcna21932?fbclid=IwAR3H8TwESh3hY3WnfR2eNXstDmhAND424paeTB_IPxk_1xX4mTFz_CRxeBI
Our New Mailing Address
Please note our new mailing address: Hemlock Society of San Diego P.O. Box 600481 San Diego, CA 92160
3-D Printed Suicide Pod is Now Legal in Switzerland
https://interestingengineering.com/a-3d-printed-assisted-suicide-pod-is-now-legal-in-switzerland?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=mailing&utm_campaign=Newsletter-06-12-2021 The inventor of the Sarco, Dr. Philip Nitschke, will be our guest speaker live on Zoom at our meeting on January 16, 2022 at 1:30pm. The link to register for this program can be found on the event card…
Changes in California’s End of Life Option Act Taking Effect in January
https://khn.org/news/article/new-california-law-eases-aid-in-dying-process/?utm_campaign=KHN%20-%20Weekly%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=190750941&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-82Qi87WJ4H912xRjyWoMSffv9Z7JXvz3z3NbfTzPY9ThzD1vrTImFfrjniqzim3bd1zSb1JJFEeNmmP42pjlHbsBSGKg&utm_content=190750941&utm_source=hs_email
Human Composting
For anyone interested eco-friendly burial, this is a very informative video from Caitlin Doughty at The Order of the Good Death. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LJSEZ_pl3Y
Final Exodus – Advance Planning for a Good Death
Final Exodus will teach you how to think, talk, and write about your plans for a good death. Valuable information and the latest AHCD and POLST forms are provided on this website by California attorney and HSSD member Bill Simmons…
Good News for Californians!
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california/articles/2021-11-04/lawsuit-briefly-blocking-california-assisted-death-law-ends
What Ways Can You Die When You’ve Had Enough of Life
https://www.thegooddeathsocietyblog.net/2021/10/24/what-ways-can-you-die-when-youve-had-enough-of-life/
Dr Rodney Syme has died aged 86 – The VE Movement Has Lost a Giant
Many Hemlockers may not know Rodney, but he was a towering voice. Faye interviewed him at length in a recent presentation, Current Issues in the Right to Die: Australia. He was a gutsy doctor — an inspiration for all and…
What’s Wrong With Advance Care Planning?
Viewpoint What's Wrong With Advance Care Planning? October 8, 2021 R. Sean Morrison, MD1,2; Diane E. Meier, MD1; Robert M. Arnold, MD3 Author Affiliations Article Information JAMA. Published online October 8, 2021. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.16430 Advance care planning (ACP) has emerged during the last 30 years as a potential response to the problem…
Governor Newsom Signs SB 380!!
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/california/article254793857.html
California Passes Major Hospice Reform Laws
https://hospicenews.com/2021/10/05/california-passes-major-hospice-reform-laws/
Head of Dutch RTD Group Detained
https://apnews.com/article/europe-health-crime-netherlands-assisted-suicide-54fd090d8a261723b9a04bcb8fea08f4
Sandy Morris Challenges California Law
September 19, 2021 Sandy Morris Challenges California Law Lisa Krieger, Mercury News Sandy Morris Challenges California Law – But How? Sandy Morris challenges California law because when found out she would die of ALS, she resolved that she would bravely,…
California State Assembly Passes SB 380
https://www.recordnet.com/story/news/state/2021/09/11/california-moves-extend-streamline-process-assisted-death/8298243002/
Happy 100th Birthday to Our Board Member Ken Watson!
https://www.lajollalight.com/news/story/2021-09-04/la-jolla-centenarian-retired-la-jolla-physicist-ken-watson-celebrates-a-century-of-having-fun
Your Experiences, Please
We’d like to hear about your experiences with loved ones, or yourself, trying to or using VSED (Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking) and also using the End of Life Option Act to achieve a peaceful death. I will compile them,…
Support CA SB 380
SB 380, the bill in the California State Legislature that would liberalize the End of Life Option Act in several important ways, is currently in The State Assembly Appropriations Committee with a hearing on August 26, 2021. The one local…
NEW VIDEO – Current Issues in the RTD: Australia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6k4Y5MbX0Y A discussion on right-to-die issues and laws in Australia led by Faye Girsh with speakers from Australia presented on July 8, 2021,
NEW Video – Current Issues in the Right to Die: Switzerland
This program was held on June 24, 2021 via Zoom. It is first in a series of presentations by Faye Girsh and Ken Watson on Current Issues in the Right to Die. Note: To view this video, click "Watch on…
Stanford Letter Project
Using the Stanford What-Matters-Most letter form and answering some simple questions, any adult can write about what matters most to them when it comes to their healthcare choices they want to make for their future when they cannot speak for…
The Father . . . a film to spark a movement ???
By Anne M. Haule, Hemlock Society Member and VolunteerRecently I went to a movie theater and saw my first movie in over 14 months of pandemic. It was so exciting to be in an actual theater again instead watching films…
Academy of Aid in Dying Medicine
A resource for patient-to-doctor referrals for medical aid in dying and educational information for clinical practitioners. Click Here
We Are All One “Bad Death” Away From Becoming Right To Die Advocates
By Anne Haule, Member, Hemlock Society It’s been almost 10 years, but I still cry when I think or talk about Larry’s death. I can’t get the picture out of my mind of his deteriorating body, hooked to his catheter,…
The Inevitable: Dispatches on the Right to Die
The Inevitable: Dispatches on the Right to Die by Katie Engelhart, 2021 Review by Faye Girsh While thousands were dying from Covid 19, assisted dying laws were passed in Spain, Austria, New Mexico, being considered in both Australian and U.S…