10 Years of Baxter v. Montana: Access and Protection Efforts Continue December 31, 2019, marked 10 years since the landmark Baxter v. Montana ruling, which authorized medical aid in dying in Montana. Compassion & Choices continues efforts on the ground in Montana to educate and empower residents to learn about their end-of-life options and to protect [...]
Storyteller Spotlight: Debbie Stern Debbie Stern, a retired psychiatric social worker, has had end-of-life issues on her mind since caring for her father after his lung cancer diagnosis. “We were very close, and it was a horrible death,” she recalls. “He ended up going down to 75 pounds from being a big man, and he [...]
Compassion & Choices national staff and New York-based volunteers spent three days at New York’s Legislative Office Building and Capitol, January 21-23, exhibiting an inspiring and moving educational display on medical aid in dying for legislators and visitors. The display featured profiles of local and national leaders in the end-of-life care movement. Included are Archbishop [...]
Our voices are one of the largest catalysts for change. And our storytellers are the heart of our work to improve, expand and protect the full spectrum of options for end-of-life care. From those living with terminal illness to the loved ones who stand by watching helplessly, our work elevates the voices of those storytellers. In [...]
GOLDEN, Colo. ― The call came the last week of September, when Neil Mahoney could still stagger from his bed to the porch of his mobile home to let out his boisterous yellow Lab, Ryder. Rodney Diffendaffer, a clinical pharmacist in Longmont, 45 miles away, had left a message. Your prescription is ready, it said. [...]
Diagnosed with dementia, she documented her wishes for the end. Then her retirement home said no. "When she worked on the trading floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, long before cellphone calculators, Susan Saran could perform complex math problems in her head. Years later, as one of its top regulators, she was in charge [...]
Dr. Melvin Palalay was conflicted when a dying patient asked him to be her medical advocate in ending her life. This is the story of how he reconciled his duty to his patient with his Catholic faith. more at link A Hawaii Doctor’s Journey Toward Embracing Medical Aid In Dying
This just in: the Riverside Superior Court in California ruled that our opponents do not have standing to bring their claims against the California End of Life Option Act and that the law was properly enacted by the California legislature! This ruling is a testament to the work of our dedicated staff at Compassion & [...]
In May 2010, my brother Ethan Remmel was diagnosed with terminal and incurable Stage 4 colon cancer that had metastasized to his bones. Just over one year later, Ethan died at home in Bellingham, Washington, surrounded by family and friends. I still miss Ethan every day. Washington is one of nine states where medical aid [...]
"All mentally competent adults have the right to document that they want to forgo medical treatments if they get dementia. Their designated health care proxy can then carry out their wishes, significantly shortening the time they endure the most debilitating stages of dementia." In case you missed it, check out this letter to the editor [...]
