from our blog:

living with dying

Happy New Year!
2011 was quite a year in the Death with Dignity movement; we believe it laid the groundwork for future victories! In this newsletter, please join me in reflecting on the highlights of our blog over the last year.

On the policy side of things, Massachusetts and Vermont made strides toward doubling the number of Death with Dignity laws in the US. This strong support couldn't have happened without breaking down the taboo of discussing death and people learning the facts about Death with Dignity. Personal experiences shared through our blog (and at dining room tables) and the life-affirming documentary How to Die in Oregon help so many understand the profound peace of mind these laws can offer.

Check out these stories and more below for a retrospective, and as always, read about current news stories in real time on our blog, Living with Dying.

Sincerely,
Melissa Barber
Electronic Communications Specialist
Death with Dignity National Center

Massachusetts & Vermont

The Death with Dignity movement saw new activity in New England throughout all of 2011. In the early part of the year, Vermont took a huge step forward in expanding end-of-life care options by introducing Death with Dignity legislation in both chambers. While the bills didn't receive a hearing in the first half of the state legislature's biennium, they're poised to be discussed this session which began on January 3rd, 2012.

In Massachusetts, a coalition of concerned citizens cleared several major hurdles in 2011 in the long process to get a proposed Death with Dignity Act on the November 2012 ballot. There's still a long way to go, but Bay Staters are ready to have the discussion.

READ ABOUT MASSACHUSETTS & VERMONT >

Death with Dignity Facts

The key to new Death with Dignity laws is a public which knows the facts about these time-tested and groundbreaking laws. To this end, it's encouraging to see some of our more popular posts in 2011 were about the nuts and bolts of these laws:

• How Death with Dignity Isn't Suicide
• The Facts about Death with Dignity
• The 2010 Oregon & Washington Annual Reports

READ MORE FACTS ABOUT DEATH WITH DIGNITY >

Personal Perspectives on Death

One of the earlier posts of the year was about the huge public outpouring of emotion for what appeared to be a 39-year-old man with advanced-stage lymphoma who decided to hasten his death through Oregon's Death with Dignity Act. Though it turned out to be a hoax, the inspiring thing to come out of it was the huge number of people who interacted with what's typically a taboo subject, death. And even in the face of the lively international debate over physician-assisted death, almost every one of the nearly 10,000 messages were supportive of his right to make that personal decision.

Our blog also featured personal stories from many generous contributors. Some of the highlights include Facing Death: How a Loved One Dies Matters, It's Scary to Talk About Death, But We Need to Start Somewhere, and The Calling

READ MORE PERSONAL STORIES >

How to Die In Oregon

In January last year, a little-known documentary about Oregon's Death with Dignity Act made an unexpected and huge splash at the Sundance Film Festival. It took only one screening in a sparsely attended auditorium for the buzz to start and make it one of the most popular documentaries of the festival. Ultimately, How to Die in Oregon received one of the highest awards at Sundance before moving on to win several more honors as it swept through film festivals in the US and abroad.

We created opportunities to discuss the film beginning with an event to celebrate the hometown premier of the film and our first-ever TweetChat. At the end of the year, HBO announced the DVD release and an opportunity to order a copy in advance of the February 14th release date.

TALK TO YOUR LOCAL VIDEO OUTLET ABOUT CARRYING THIS DVD >

Dying with Dignity

We are tremendously grateful for the generous individuals who share their own experiences with the Oregon and Washington Death with Dignity Acts. It's very difficult to discuss the loss of a loved one even privately, and to share these experiences publicly on our blog is a gift beyond measure.

From all of us at the Death with Dignity National Center, thank you Nora, Andrew, Ethan, and Anson for sharing why these laws are important to you.

READ MORE >

• > Massachusetts & Vermont
• > Death with Dignity Facts
• > Personal Perspectives on Death
• > How to Die In Oregon
• > Dying with Dignity

Thank you, Donors!
In December, we asked you to help Bring Dignity Home, and we're thankful for everyone who answered the call! From all of us at the Death with Dignity National Center, thank you for helping us reach our year-end fundraising goal.

We hope you'll continue to help us as we keep working to bring Dignity home throughout the US.

GIVE FOR TOMORROW'S LAWS >

Death with Dignity Took the Main Stage
Dr. Oz's show joined a growing movement of openness to take on death and assisted death in popular culture—and not just in an inflammatory or factually-incorrect fashion as some shows in the past have done. Right on the heels of Dr. Oz's show, the prime-time show Criminal Minds concluded their subplot of the main character, Rossi, whose ex-wife asked for his help to hasten her death.

READ MORE >

Kevorkian's Death
Every movement needs a lightning rod to spur people to notice and think about the issue at hand. The right to die movement had Jack Kevorkian. Never one to advocate from the shadows, Kevorkian enthusiastically—and at times absurdly—placed himself and his actions in the limelight.

MORE ABOUT KEVORKIAN >

Why I Support Death with Dignity
In December, long-time Death with Dignity Supporter, Glenn Havelock, shared why he has and continues to support our work:

What death with dignity means to me: in a word, choice...

READ MORE >

PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO FRIENDS >

READ MORE >

We'd love to hear from you!
520 SW 6th Avenue
Suite 1220
Portland, OR 97204
Tel: 503-228-4415
Fax: 503-967-7064
info@deathwithdignity.org

Images: Question by dkscully on Flickr, Lucidending Star by headphonesonly,
Director Peter Richardson by Hunter Richards, and Meg Holmes by Andrew Taylor.
Contact the editor at mbarber@deathwithdignity.org