RSSAugust Death with Dignity Recap
posted by Melissa Barber on August 30, 2010
News
Photo by Marco
August has been a month of awakening for the Death with Dignity movement and end-of-life discussions. Here are some of the highlights:
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Two well-timed articles about the importance of end-of-life discussions are creating quite the buzz. Atul Gawande’s New Yorker article from the beginning of the month kicked off the discussion, and was soon followed by an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine about how palliative care extends life in patients with terminal lung cancer. These two articles set off a firestorm of responses on blogs, news sites as well as radio and television programs.
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The Vermont Democratic gubernatorial race is still too close to call. The voting results will be official tomorrow, and there will likely be a recount. The two leading candidates, separated by 192 votes, are committed to passing Death with Dignity legislation modeled on the Oregon law.
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New York recently passed their Patient Right to Palliative Care Information Act which is modeled on California’s 2008 Terminal Patients’ Right to Know End-of-Life Options Act. New York’s new law sparked a bit of conversation about the legal aspects of the law and the next steps for quality end-of-life care.
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The Journal of Medical Ethics published a London study about a how doctor's religion relates to discussing end-of-life care options with their patients. The study found doctors who identify as "strongly" or "very strongly non-religious" were twice as likely to discuss end-of-life options which include palliative sedation than their "strongly" religious counterparts.
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Pew Research Center found older adults are adopting social media at an accelerated rate, and we joined the discussion too! Please find the Death with Dignity National Center on Twitter and Facebook, and effortlessly keep up on daily information and musings.
Update 8/31/10: The Vermont gubernatorial primary results were certified today with Peter Shumlin winning the race by 197 votes. His closest challenger, Doug Racine, has requested a recount.
More Headlines from DDNC
- The Next Step in a Campaign - Aug. 25, 2010
- Proud BBB Accredited Charity - Aug. 20, 2010
- Oregon C&C Executive Director Resigns - Aug. 13, 2010
- Newton's Second Law - Aug. 05, 2010
- Listen Up, Montana! - July 27, 2010
- Data and the Case for Death with Dignity Laws - July 22, 2010
- Advance Directive or Euthanasia? - July 14, 2010
- DDNC Spring 2010 Newsletter - March 24, 2010
- The New Doctor Death - March 24, 2010
- Twist, Turns, & Inaction in the Saga of the Final Exit Network - March 24, 2010
In the News
| Aug. 18, 2010 | Palliative Care Extends Life, Study Finds - The New York Times | |
| July 26, 2010 | NY | Letting Go: What should medicine do when it can’t save your life? - The New Yorker |
| July 14, 2010 | Guidelines for ‘death with dignity’ agreed - The Korea Herald | |
| July 9, 2010 | MT | Opposing Assisted-Suicide Bills Being Drafted - Flathead Beacon |
| July 8, 2010 | MT | Missoula lawmaker drafting bill to implement high court's physician-assisted suicide decision - Missoulian |
| July 3, 2010 | Patients, families asking for ‘death with dignity’ - JoongAng Daily | |
| July 3, 2010 | Correction: Germany right-to-die story - The Associated Press | |
| June 25, 2010 | German court legalises euthanasia with patient consent - BBC | |
| June 25, 2010 | German Court Liberalizes Rules for Right to Die Cases - The New York Times | |
| June 24, 2010 | OR | Oregon Medical Board suspends doctor who wants to open a Portland facility where the terminally ill can die under the assisted-suicide law - OregonLive.com |
Defend dignity. Take action.
For more than 14 years, the Death with Dignity National Center (DDNC), a 501(c)(3), non-partisan, non-profit organization, has been the leading advocate in the death with dignity movement. Leaders in our organization originally wrote and have continued advocating for the Oregon Death with Dignity Law. DDNC has met these challenges through extensive legal defense of the Oregon law, education and outreach programs, and by developing and nurturing diverse financial resources with one goal in mind: to ensure DDNC's financial vitality and its position as a leader in the death with dignity movement.
Your donation today will enable us to continue to advocate for the right of the terminally ill to die with dignity. Please click here to give a secure, online donation. Thank you.
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Political Action Fund
The Death with Dignity National Center partners with the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund (the Fund) to conduct lobbying and political activities in order to achieve the enactment of Death with Dignity laws in other states. The partnership resulted in tremendous success with the resounding win in the 2008 Washington Death with Dignity campaign.
Learn more about the Fund's efforts to bring dignity to people around the nation.
About Death with Dignity
The greatest human freedom is to live, and die, according to one's own desires and beliefs. The most common desire among those with a terminal illness is to die with some measure of dignity. From advance directives to physician-assisted dying, death with dignity is a movement to provide options for the dying to control their own end-of-life care.
Death with Dignity National Center (DDNC) is the leader in this movement, successfully establishing, advancing and defending the landmark Oregon Death with Dignity Act -- a national catalyst for openly discussing and actively reforming end-of-life care for those who are terminally ill.
Learn more about the National Center and our family of organizations.
Patients & Families
The Death with Dignity National Center was formed out of a profound commitment to the idea that personal end-of-life decisions should be made solely between a patient and a physician. Based on this commitment, we are pleased to provide you with support and information as you face the difficult challenges ahead.
Research Center
We have compiled a comprehensive collection of legal briefs, journal articles, and newspaper clippings. We invite you to explore the wide array of information we have collected throughout our history.
In our Research Center you will find frequently asked questions, the history of the death with dignity movement, state monitoring statistics, and a copy of this groundbreaking statute.
