|
from our blog: living with dying |
October Blog Recap
Posted by Melissa Barber on November 3, 2011
Print| News from www.DeathwithDignity.org | "Respect the will of the people." |
|
Personal stories like the ones featured on our blog in October by Andrew and Nora are why we work so hard to help more people understand Death with Dignity Acts. Death with Dignity is no longer an issue viable only in a few states on the west coast. It's a policy experiencing broad public support around the country. You can read more about our efforts to make this a reality in our Annual Report. October also witnessed the loss of a brilliant mind, but for years before he was diagnosed with cancer, death was a daily meditation for Steve Jobs. As part of our continued effort to wipe out the taboo of talking about death, our October online chat was about personal experiences with dying, and coming up on November 17th we're going to help people get ready to have the talk as part of the annual rally to Engage with Grace. Check out these stories and more below and read the news as it happens on our blog, Living with Dying. Sincerely, Meg's Death with Dignity Suffering from a disease that robs one of intellect and dignity, she had the option, as a Washington resident, to choose the time of her death. She used the provisions of Washington's Death with Dignity Act to hasten her death while she was still able to converse with and understand her family members. (Oregon has long had a very similar Death with Dignity Act; Vermont and Massachusetts are also considering similar laws.) 2011 Annual Report Relationships. Partnerships. Networking. These are the keywords best describing our activities of the past year. Focused on grassroots organizing, staff and board members of the Death with Dignity National Center have forged important alliances with advocacy groups, interested individuals, and medical professionals throughout New England. Experiences of a Dying Patient From his point of view, my dying husband faced the end of all time. From the first day, we knew that his lung cancer was inoperable, untreatable, and already fatal, that the suggested chemo could only, possibly, slow the process a little. Each night my husband went to sleep knowing that his nights were numbered, that the next day would be one fewer of the heartbreakingly few remaining. He didn't have the option of "fighting," of "beating the odds" or "winning the battle." Every door he had imagined still open to him, the nursery business he had planned, the trip to Alaska he'd always put off for another year, the joy of seeing his only son graduate from college, get married and have a son of his own, the happy retirement spent with grandchildren, all slammed shut in a single moment. I think this awareness drove his decision to use Oregon's Death with Dignity law when the time came. Steve Jobs on Death and Dying That's the quote Steve Jobs chose to begin telling the third story about the pivotal points in his life he shared with Stanford graduates in 2005. In our society, which is so averse to talking about death and dying, this speech caught my eye early in my work with the Death with Dignity National Center. |
In This Issue:
Thank you, Donors! The Death with Dignity National Center, and its political affiliate — the Death with Dignity Political Action Fund — are working at full capacity to support both Massachusetts and Vermont. A Promise to Her Dying Husband Online Chat: Experiences with Death
Staff Spotlight Spread the Word The best way for us to ensure Death with Dignity is an option for all Americans is to tell to more people our story. Will you help us connect with your friends? We'd love to hear from you! |
|
Images: Meg Holmes by Andrew Taylor and Rick & Nora provided by Nora Miller. |
|
Defend dignity. Take action.
You are the key to ensuring well-crafted Death with Dignity laws for all Americans. With your financial and volunteer help, the Death with Dignity National Center, a 501(c)(3), non-partisan, non-profit organization, has been the leading advocate in the death with dignity movement. Member contributions helped us pass a new Death with Dignity law in Washington, defend the Oregon law, and provide education and outreach programs for the vitality of the death with dignity movement.
Make a Donation
Your donation helps us continue to advocate for the right of the terminally ill to die with dignity.
Stay Connected
Sign up for the latest news and information about Death with Dignity.
Additional ways to stay in touch: |
 |  |  |
About Death with Dignity
The greatest human freedom is to live, and die, according to one's own desires and beliefs. 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 is the leader in this movement, successfully establishing, advancing and defending the landmark Oregon and Washington Death with Dignity Acts.
Political Action Fund
The Death with Dignity National Center partners with the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund to conduct lobbying and political activities in order to achieve the enactment of Death with Dignity laws in other states.
Learn more about the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund.
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. 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.
© 2012 Death with Dignity National Center. Powered by Drupal.
We respect your privacy. Please see our Privacy Policy and Statement of Ethics for more information.
