Events

Would you like to hear the latest news from Final Exit Network (FEN)? Join us on Zoom to meet FEN’s Executive Director Michelle Witte. Michelle is thrilled to join the Hemlock Society of San Diego – the birthplace of FEN! She will provide an update on FEN’s successful leadership transitions, the current state and promise of the Exit Guide Program, future plans being discussed – and insights into the most recent legal challenge faced in Colorado. Most of all, she looks forward to meeting Hemlock Society members and answering any questions you all might have. Please join us!

Michelle Witte is the newest Executive Director for Final Exit Network (FEN). Witte stepped into the role in August 2025 with a deep personal connection to the cause. In 2022, she cared for her mother Diane through the painful final stages of Parkinson’s disease—an experience that profoundly shaped her understanding of the need for compassionate end of life options. “My mom asked me day after day, ‘When will this end?”” said Witte. “Her suffering ignited in me a passion to help ensure that no one else must endure what we did.”

That passion led her to advocacy at the Minnesota State Legislature for Medical Aid In Dying, and ultimately to discovering Final Exit Network. She most recently served as Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Minnesota, where she supported 33 local chapters and over 2,500 volunteers in the effort to strengthen democracy. Her background also includes founding health advocacy initiatives, serving as Board President of the Missouri Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, and working on state-level aging resource development in Minnesota. “As someone who has worked to expand choice and autonomy across many aspects of life, I’m honored to now lead an organization that defends the most personal choice of all,” Witte said.

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Other Side is a documentary that premiered at SXSW in 2025 and chronicles the true story of Lynda Bluestein’s courageous legal battle to amend the Medical Aid in Dying Law in Vermont. The film follows Lynda, a Connecticut resident, and her family for a year. It captures her journey from cancer treatments to the end of her life. Her successful lawsuit opened the door for out-of-state residents to access MAID in Vermont. We are proud to honor Lynda Bluestein’s legacy by bringing you this free screening of Other Side. The 90-minute film will be followed by a discussion led by the Hemlock Society’s Board of Directors. We hope you’ll join us in person on Saturday, April 11th at 1:30pm at the Allied Gardens Benjamin Library to watch and discuss Lynda Bluestein’s groundbreaking Right-to-Die victory. Parking is free. Click Here to Watch the Trailer

Guest speaker will join us on Zoom from Dorset, England to discuss the latest developments in assisted dying in Switzerland, his international pro-euthanasia activism, and the legal challenges he has faced, including arrests and sentencing for assisting people in their efforts to die with dignity on their own terms. Sean served for 5 years as the head of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies, worked with Pegasos Swiss Clinic, and is the author of 3 books. We are honored to host this global pioneer and leader in the Right to Die movement as our guest speaker. All are welcome to attend.

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