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Pre-order Your "How to Die in Oregon" DVD Now

posted by Melissa Barber on December 20, 2011

My wife understood the meaning of her own life. It seems like a story about dying, but actually it is very much a story about living. -Stan Curtis, Cody Curtis' husband

This year, How to Die in Oregon has had two month-long runs on HBO, swept festivals all over the world, and has been hailed as "one of the most difficult-to-watch movies", "an unflinching piece of work", "wonderfully human", "a different kind of love story", and "hard but incredibly moving, even transformative watch". It's now available for advance ordering through New Video, and DVDs will ship on February 14, 2012.

On January 17, 2006, Peter Richardson, an Oregon native, knew his state's law would be the subject of his second documentary, How to Die in Oregon. Richardson walked through the airport to catch a flight to Utah for his first documentary's appearance at the Sundance Film Festival when he noticed a newspaper headline: the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to uphold Oregon's Death with Dignity Act.

In several interviews, Richardson has stated only a person who lived in Oregon could have filmed a documentary about people who requested prescriptions to hasten their deaths. It's not because only an Oregonian understands why terminally ill patients should have this option. Rather, it was "the sheer practicality of how would you make a film like this? It would take a long time. You'd almost have to be like a doctor; always on-call just because of the nature of the stories you were telling and the unpredictable nature of those stories."

After four years of filming, Richardson created a film which sensitively and intimately portrays the use of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act and the campaign to pass the second law in the state of Washington. Among the personal interviews with volunteers, advocates, and terminally ill patients throughout Oregon and Washington, the heart of the story emerges with Cody Curtis, her family and her oncologist. Through Cody and those around her, director Peter Richardson created an emotional and life-affirming film which will help people everywhere better understand what it means to regain control of one's own end of life care when faced with a terminal illness and to die with dignity.

Some of the top accolades for this groundbreaking film:

Read more about Richardson and his film in The Arts category of our blog.

Posted on December 20, 2011 in "How to Die in Oregon" - A Documentary.

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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.

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