At long last! Peter Richardson's acclaimed documentary, How to Die in Oregon, will be released on DVD next Tuesday, February 14th. For about a year, we've received inquiries from people all over the world about how they can get a chance to see the film. With the DVD release, the film will be more widely available for sale; to rent through your local video store or Netflix; or possibly borrow from your nearby library.

If you're thinking about purchasing the DVD, the Death with Dignity National Center is now an affiliate of both Amazon and New Video. Use these links to order your copy, and a percentage of your purchase helps to support our work!

It's been quite a year for filmed discussions about assisted death. That statement itself is remarkable considering how taboo the entire subject of death is in many cultures. It's a refreshing change, and one which I, for one, applaud. Through these TV programs and documentaries it's becoming apparent that how we die matters to us and what options we have when we're facing death are important.

The documentary we mentioned most often this year was Peter Richardson's life-affirming film How to Die in Oregon. For four years, Richardson filmed the journeys of terminally-ill Oregonians who decided to request medication to hasten their deaths as allowed under the state's Death with Dignity Act and the effort to pass Washington's Death with Dignity Act in 2008.

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.

Patient Choices Vermont continues to help all Vermonters get the facts about their proposed Death with Dignity Act, and last week, Nancy Niedzielski traveled from Washington state to tell her personal story and share the Oregon and Washington experience with those living in Vermont.

When Nancy's husband died an agonizing and painful death due to brain cancer, he asked her to promise that she'd do everything she could to make sure Washington passed a Death with Dignity Act like Oregon. Fulfilling her promise, she worked tirelessly to help her fellow residents learn about Death with Dignity, and in 2008, her dream was realized—Washingtonians passed their Death with Dignity Act with nearly 60% supporting the initiative.

One of the unique and critical perspectives shared in How to Die in Oregon was that of Cody Curtis' oncologist, Dr. Katherine Morris. As director Peter Richardson mentions in this video, finding a doctor who was willing to talk on camera about prescribing medication under Oregon's Death with Dignity Act was a huge challenge. He had been filming for two years and was close to completing filming before he met Cody, her family and her physician. Up to that point he often didn't even know the names of the prescribing physicians.

The doctors who prescribe under the Oregon and Washington laws aren't in any way ashamed or embarrassed about honoring their patients' requests; rather, they feel they must remain anonymous because of the negative stigma which still surrounds this issue.