Choice, dignity and control at the end of life
What We Do
At Hemlock Society of San Diego, we strive to:
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- Provide education about end of life choices with free public meetings six times a year. We have heard from Derek Humphry, author of Final Exit; from Neal Nicol, biographer of Jack Kevorkian; from Dick Mac Donald MD, Medical Advisor, Final Exit Network and many more. These programs are available to the public at no charge via Zoom and past programs can be viewed on our YouTube channel.
- Right to Die Film Series. Six times per year (on even-numbered months) we show a free film at a local library.
- Provide individual counseling relating to the end-of-life in a professional, confidential, and compassionate manner at no cost via email or phone.
- Support options for a humane, self-determined death by contributing to campaigns for law reform, legal defense, and the World Federation of Right to Die Societies.
- Publish a newsletter with information about worldwide right-to-die developments six times a year.
- Bring like-minded people together for small group workshops and to discuss end-of-life choices.
- Provide resource information such as international books, pamphlets, DVDs.
- Provide speakers on the end of life choices to community organizations.
We are proud members of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies.
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LIBERTY AND DEATH
A Manifesto Concerning an Individual’s Right to Choose to Die
By Derek Humphry, founder of the Hemlock Society
In a spirit of compassion for all, this manifesto proclaims that every competent adult has the incontestable right to humankind’s ultimate civil and personal liberty — the right to die in a manner and at a time of their own choosing.
Suicide no longer being a crime, it is unacceptable to prosecute well-meaning people for assisting a suicide.
Medically hastened death by request should be made lawful as it is now in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the American states of California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Montana (each has different rules).
Views on the dying process contrary to those expressed in this manifesto are respected, but must not trump the autonomy of the dying person’s own decisions.