Aid-In-Dying Advocacy Group Girds For Battles After California Victory

Aid-in-dying bills were introduced this year in 23 state legislatures, plus in the District of Columbia, up from four last year, according to Compassion & Choices. Despite formidable opposition from the Catholic Church, disabled-rights groups and parts of the medical community, the group sees its strength growing...
https://www.thelundreport.org/content/aid-dying-advocacy-group-girds-battles-after-california-victory

Aid-in-dying advocacy group girds for battles after California victory

Aid-in-dying bills were introduced this year in 23 state legislatures, plus in the District of Columbia, up from four last year, according to Compassion & Choices. Despite formidable opposition from the Catholic Church, disabled-rights groups and parts of the medical community, the group sees its strength growing...
http://www.whas11.com/story/news/2015/11/14/kaiser-aid-in-dying-advocacy-group-girds-for-battles-after-california-victory/75716006/

“Right To Die” Becomes Law In California

California has just become the fifth state to legalize so-called “aid in dying.” Under the law, certain terminally ill California residents can elect to end their lives with the help of a doctor’s prescription. Following an emotionally-charged debate, Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill into law Monday, writing, “in the end, I was left to reflect on what I would want in the face of my own death.” For many supporters, this represents a pivotal moment for an issue that’s been gaining steam across the U.S. But for critics, California’s decision takes the national conversation about end-of-life options in the wrong direction. We hear both sides, and what the California law could mean for other states.
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2015-10-06/right-to-die-becomes-law-in-ca

Honoring our wives’ lives and deaths

We are two ordinary men who married extraordinary women who died too young from cancer...
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/10/15/honoring-our-wives-lives-and-deaths-commentary/

California Doctors Get Advice On How To Provide Aid In Dying

Now that California has legalized aid in dying, advocacy groups are planning statewide education campaigns so doctors know what to do when patients ask for lethal medication to end their lives...
http://www.wlrh.org/NPR-News/california-doctors-get-advice-how-provide-aid-dying

Governor Wrestles With His Own Mortality, Signs ‘Death With Dignity’ Law

California has become the largest state to allow physician-assisted suicide.  ... Read more

Dutch wary of expanding assisted dying law

Euthanasia has been legal in the Netherlands since 2002 and is responsible for 1 of 25 deaths. Neave Barker reports.
https://youtu.be/Q95AiSh2MOk

Why Religiously Unaffiliated Americans Support Death with Dignity

"Other opponents to death with dignity cite the religious tenet of the sanctity of life. One’s preferences for the condition of his or her own death are based on deeply, sincerely held beliefs and values. These beliefs are just as valid and sincere as others’ religious beliefs and should be treated respectfully with equal standing before the law. It is wrong and unconstitutional to allow the religious beliefs of some to trump the personal, nonreligious beliefs of others."
http://www.deathwithdignity.org/2015/07/15/why-religiously-unaffiliated-americans-support-death-with-dignity#sthash.9g1Z353R.dpuf

Catholic Church Helps Defeat ‘Death With Dignity’ Proposal In Calif. Senate

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Catholic Church, often out of step with California’s liberal Legislature, notched a prominent win at the statehouse this week after aligning with advocates for the disabled and medical groups to defeat a proposal to allow terminally ill patients to legally end their lives.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/07/08/catholic-church-helps-defeat-death-with-dignity-proposal-in-calif-senate/

California right-to-die bill struggling amid religious fight

"The voters are saying that they are supporting this bill, and we hope our legislators are listening to them," said Patricia A. González-Portillo, a spokeswoman for the group, which has said it would pursue a ballot initiative if the bill fails.

Kevin Eckery, a spokesman for the California Catholic Conference, said some churches were encouraging parishioners to call lawmakers to oppose the bill but support had already been eroding.

http://www.sunherald.com/2015/07/07/6310810/california-right-to-die-bill-struggling.html

California 'right to die' bill stalls in Assembly Health Committee

...And they're facing intense pressure from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles to vote no...
http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_28369410/california-right-die-bill-stalls-assembly-health-committee

A humane way to end life

... Oregon’s 18 years of experience do not confirm any of these fears. Enacted in 1997, Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act allows terminally ill adults who are residents of the state to obtain and use prescriptions from their physicians for self-administered lethal doses. Stringent protections include a life expectancy of less than six months, a finding of mental capability, a concurring opinion from a second doctor, mandatory discussion of hospice and other options, waiting periods and more...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-humane-way-to-end-life/2015/06/21/189949ba-13dc-11e5-9518-f9e0a8959f32_story.html

California Doctors’ Shift On Physician-Assisted Suicide Could Be A Harbinger Of Change

It could lead to legislative change.  ... Read more

California Lawyer With Terminal Cancer Sues State For Right To Die Peacefully

...The suit -- filed on behalf of the four plaintiffs by the nonprofit end-of-life advocacy organization Compassion & Choices -- asserts that the California constitution and existing state laws should allow medical professionals to prescribe mentally competent patients with terminal illnesses medications "they can take in their final days to end their dying process painlessly and peacefully, ending unbearable pain and suffering," according to a news release...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/18/california-lawsuit-aid-in-dying_n_7308648.html
https://youtu.be/ZKnrjK8N5q4

Atul Gawande: “Being Mortal: Medicine And What Matters In The End” (Diane Rehm Show)

Modern medicine has advanced dramatically in the past century: Average life expectancy has increased from the mid-40s to the mid-70s today. But as medicine has advanced and people are living longer, children are more likely to live far away from aging parents. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities are popular destinations, but often focus on safety and routines at the expense of quality of life and human interaction. Harvard physician and author Atul Gawande argues that making mortality a medical experience is failing society. And he says end-of-life treatments often end up shortening lives instead of extending them. A Harvard doctor on a smarter approach to aging and dying.
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-10-06/atul-gawande-being-mortal-medicine-and-what-matters-end

Comforting Thoughts (Freethought Radio)

We start the show talking about three recent movies with freethought connections. Then we ask, "How do atheists deal with death?” Greta Christina tells us about her new book, Comforting Thoughts About Death That Have Nothing To Do About God. Then we talk with Barbara Mancini, who was arrested and prosecuted for handing her terminally ill 93-yr-old father prescribed medicine that he requested, a charge of "assisted suicide" that was religiously and politically motivated, and ultimately dismissed.
Interview:
http://ffrf.libsyn.com/comforting-thoughts

Canada legalizes physician-assisted suicide

Read more

Aid-in-dying bill is killed in committee due to Catholic bishops

"...The Connecticut Catholic Conference's $100,000 campaign against aid-in-dying legislation seems to have worked -- the Democratic leaders of the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday decided not to bring the proposal to a committee vote..."
http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Aid-in-dying-bill-is-killed-in-committee-6187872.php

Bill in R.I. General Assembly would let terminally ill control own death

The bill introduced earlier this year would allow terminally ill patients — those suffering from a disease that would result in death within six months — to have access to a lethal prescription provided that they meet several standards. A doctor would have to determine the patient is capable of making an informed decision. The legislation is modeled on the practices of the handful of states, including Vermont, that allow it...
http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150408/NEWS/150409326/13809

Should We Legalize Assisted Suicide? (Intelligence Squared Debates, NPR)

In 1994, Oregon voters passed the Death with Dignity Act, which legalized physician-assisted suicide for the terminally ill. Since then, it has become legal in 4 more states, including New Mexico, where the state court ruling that it is constitutional is under appeal. Is it, in the words of the American Medical Association’s code of ethics, “fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer”? Will these laws lead to a slippery slope, where the vulnerable are pressured to choose death and human life is devalued? Or do we need to recognize everyone’s basic right to autonomy, the right to end pain and suffering, and the right to choose to die with dignity?
Interview:
http://intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/past-debates/item/1160-legalize-assisted-suicide