Media Advisory

Washington, D.C. – Ten years ago the people of Oregon changed the way Americans think about dying by passing the nation’s first Death with Dignity law.  On September 9th, at 10 AM on the campus of George Washington University, the Death with Dignity National Center will host a conference looking at the extraordinary data coming from Oregon, and the legal, political and ethical implications of this law since its implementation in 1997. 

The conference commences against the backdrop of Attorney General John Ashcroft's decision of whether to take his lawsuit against death with dignity to the U.S. Supreme Court - following the recent rejection of his appeal to the Ninth Circuit.

The conference coincides with the release of a new book on the topic, Physician Assisted Dying: The Case for Palliative Care and Patient Choice, edited by Dr. Timothy Quill and Margaret Battin, PhD, of the Death with Dignity National Center, and published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

The first session, beginning at 10 AM at the Cafritz Conference Center (Marvin Center), will be keynoted by Quill and Battin and followed by a panel discussion of Oregon data featuring Ann Jackson of the Oregon Hospice Association, Barbara Coombs Lee of Compassion in Dying and Alan Meisel of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pittsburgh Law School.  A Q & A  session will follow.

Additional speakers of interest to media include Eli D. Stutsman, co-author of the Oregon law speaking at 11:15 AM; Nora Miller, whose husband used the law speaking at 12:15 PM; Bishop John Shelby Spong speaking on religion, science and politics at 2 PM; and Sylvia Law, speaking on Death with Dignity in the context of other social movements at 3 PM.  Q & A will follow each session.

Media is welcome to attend any portion of the conference, including the lunch which will feature the conference participants engaging in small group discsussion.

Please notify us if you plan to stay for lunch. A complete listing of session times, speakers and panelists follows.  We will gladly arrange interviews for media throughout the day. 

For more information: www.deathwithdignity.org or contact Death with Dignity (Scott Swenson, (202) 969.1669, Jeana Frazzini, (503) 228.4415), Compassion In Dying (Claire Simmons, (503) 221.9556), End of Life Choices (Kimberly Spencer, (800) 247.7421) or Johns Hopkins University Press (Jennifer Gray, (410) 516.6935).

Session One, 10 AM – Physician Assisted Dying: The Case for Palliative Care and Patient Choice. Keynoters: Dr. Tim Quill and Margaret Battin, PhD.  Panelists: Ann Jackson, Oregon Hospice Association; Barbara Coombs Lee Compassion In Dying; Alan Meisel, Center for Bioethics University of Pittsburgh.

Session Two, 11 AM – Ashcroft and the Courts, Congress and the States. Keynoter: Eli D. Stutsman. Panelists: Sampak Garg, House Judiciary Counsel, Kristina Wilfore, Ballot Strategies Initiative Center, Michael Sirotkin, Vermont Lobbyist, Steve Telfer, Oregon Lobbyist.

Pre-lunch Speech, 12:15 PM – Nora Miller speaks about her experience with the Death with Dignity law.

Session Three, 2 PM – Religion, Science and Politics. Keynoter: Bishop John Shelby Spong.

Session Four, 3 PM – Death with Dignity in the context of other Social Movements. Keynoter: Sylvia Law. Panelists: Rev. Carlton Veazy, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Dr. Paul Spiers, End-of-Life Choices and Autonomy, Cornelius Baker, Whitman Walker Clinic.

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