RSSDeath with Dignity National Center & Oregon Death with Dignity Join Forces to Promote Choice
Aug. 4, 2003
Media Release
Contact: Greg Eddleston - geddleston@dwd.org / (503) 228.4415
Today the Portland-based Oregon Death with Dignity Legal Defense and Education Center (ODWD) joined forces with the Death with Dignity National Center (DDNC) of Washington D.C.�
The consolidated entities will, from this date forward, be known as the Death with Dignity National Center.
This formal association of two end-of-life care non-profits unites more than a decade of public education, healthcare policy, grassroots advocacy and legal defense work under one roof.
Founded in 1993, the mission of Oregon Death with Dignity (formerly Oregon Right to Die) has been to provide education, research and support for the preservation, implementation and promotion of the Oregon Death with Dignity law as a stimulus to nationwide improvements in end-of-life care and as a final option for dying individuals.
One year later, in 1994, the Death with Dignity National Center was established to provide a voice outside of Oregon to advocate for end-of-life choices and the replication of the Oregon law.�
Under a united mission, the consolidated organization will maintain offices in Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon, with a Board of Directors drawn equally from among the former-governing officers.
The Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund will retain its name and continue to work through its Federal, State and Issue Political Action Committees to advance the law in explicitly political arenas.
"Oregon's Death with Dignity law has worked flawlessly - bringing peace of mind to terminally ill patients.� The combination of Oregon Death with Dignity with the National Center, creates a bi-coastal powerhouse of advocacy for patient choice," said Eli D. Stutsman, Portland attorney and President of the Oregon Death with Dignity Board of Directors.�
Dr. Timothy Quill, a practicing physician, and member of the DDNC Board of Directors commented, "Many doctors have watched closely the implementation of the Death with Dignity law.� Now, even skeptics understand that by empowering patients, the healthcare system has had to dramatically improve its treatment of the terminally ill. The coming together of DDNC and ODWD is a major step toward sharing the Oregon story and promoting it nationally."
Oregon's law is currently under attack by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. The legal case, Oregon v. Ashcroft, awaits a ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, anticipated by the end of summer.
Later this year, the organization will launch a new website and print campaign.�
Until then, reach us online at www.dwd.org.�
Portland Office: (503) 228.4415
D.C. Office: (202) 969.1669.
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For more than 14 years, the Death with Dignity National Center (DDNC), a 501(c)(3), non-partisan, non-profit organization, has been the leading advocate in the death with dignity movement. Leaders in our organization originally wrote and have continued advocating for the Oregon Death with Dignity Law. DDNC has met these challenges through extensive legal defense of the Oregon law, education and outreach programs, and by developing and nurturing diverse financial resources with one goal in mind: to ensure DDNC's financial vitality and its position as a leader in the death with dignity movement.
Your donation today will enable us to continue to advocate for the right of the terminally ill to die with dignity. Please click here to give a secure, online donation. Thank you.
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Political Action Fund
The Death with Dignity National Center partners with the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund (the Fund) to conduct lobbying and political activities in order to achieve the enactment of Death with Dignity laws in other states. The partnership resulted in tremendous success with the resounding win in the 2008 Washington Death with Dignity campaign.
Learn more about the Fund's efforts to bring dignity to people around the nation.
About Death with Dignity
The greatest human freedom is to live, and die, according to one's own desires and beliefs. The most common desire among those with a terminal illness is to die with some measure of dignity. 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 (DDNC) is the leader in this movement, successfully establishing, advancing and defending the landmark Oregon Death with Dignity Act -- a national catalyst for openly discussing and actively reforming end-of-life care for those who are terminally ill.
Learn more about the National Center and our family of organizations.
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. Based on this commitment, 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.
In our Research Center you will find frequently asked questions, the history of the death with dignity movement, state monitoring statistics, and a copy of this groundbreaking statute.
