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My Mother's Last Wish

Posted by Betty Rollin on October 25, 2010

In 1986 my mother was dying of ovarian cancer, but in her view not fast enough. She was 75 and no longer had a comfortable day. She wanted to die. A lot of sick and dying people say that, but the difference between most of them and my mother is she meant it. She felt she had had a wonderful life and there was no point in a long, drawn-out, miserable death.

She asked me to help her die, which, ultimately and with great difficulty, I did. I was not prosecuted because the help was indirect. I wrote the story in a book called Last Wish, which became a best-seller, as well as a TV movie starring Patty Duke.

Because of the success of the book, I was contacted by one of the organizations that believed there should be a legal way out of life for people like my mother. I've been involved in the Death with Dignity movement ever since–most recently as a board member with the Death with Dignity National Center.

Read more: My Mother's Last Wish

Atul Gawande: How to Talk About End-of-Life Care

Posted by Melissa Barber on October 18, 2010

Read more: Atul Gawande: How to Talk About End-of-Life Care

How to Pass Death with Dignity Laws

Posted by Melissa Barber on October 13, 2010

"How do we get Death with Dignity established?"

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Why Are Medical Professionals Slow to Adapt to Death with Dignity Laws?

Posted by Melissa Barber on October 6, 2010

Changing a culture of thought and the mindset of a community takes time. This is true of any facet of life, but to compound this challenge we're changing culture and practice about a particularly difficult and often taboo topic: death. We knew this going into the Washington I-1000 campaign. As challenging as it was to sustain the long fight which culminated in a victory for increased end-of-life options for all terminally ill Washingtonians in November 2008, we knew implementing the second Death with Dignity law in the US would be a much longer process. This is why a recent article about the reticence of physicians participating in Washington's Death with Dignity law in the newsletter of the American College of Physicians didn't come as a great surprise.

Read more: Why Are Medical Professionals Slow to Adapt to Death with Dignity Laws?

Happy Retirement, George

Posted by Peg Sandeen, MSW on September 29, 2010

I've worked in the Death with Dignity movement for five years now, and through this work I've met some amazing people. George Eighmey is one of them, a truly thoughtful and caring individual who has committed more than a decade of his life to working with individuals who are terminally ill and contemplating Death with Dignity. On August 31st, George launched a new career: retirement. I'm happy for his retirement but sad to see him go.

George was an Oregon state legislator in 1997 when opponents to the Death with Dignity Act were working to dismantle the citizen's initiative passed in 1994. George was instrumental in blocking the opponents in the legislature. After the law was implemented, George took up a leadership role in the organization Compassion in Dying of Oregon, and he has been involved with implementation of Death with Dignity since that time.

Read more: Happy Retirement, George

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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.

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