Last week, from May 11 to May 17, 2015
- A proposed Death with Dignity bill received a hearing in Maine.
- The California End of Life Option Act moved forward through the Senate Appropriations Committee, which forwarded it for budget impact assessment, while Californians continue to debate the issue.
- The California Medical Association dropped its opposition to physician-assisted dying and is now neutral on the proposed bill.
- Senate Bill 336, Nevada Patient Self-Determination Act died without a hearing. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chair, Sen. Hardy, MD, who effectively killed the bipartisan bill by not allowing it to be heard, is facing increased criticism from Nevadans.
California
- “Choosing a Better Death,” Huffington Post, 5/12/2015
- “California’s End of Life Option Act Moves Forward,” KCET, 5/14/2015
- “Life and Death with Dignity,” KQED, 5/15/2015
Maine
- “Right-to-Die Legislation Featured in First Episode of Spotlight on Seniors,” One2One Care, 5/14/2015
- “‘We don’t have to die like that’: Bill would allow Mainers to take lethal drugs,” Bangor Daily News, 5/15/2015
- “Legislature Hears Testimony on End-of-Life Bill,” MPBN News (NPR), 5/15/2015
Nevada
- “If you were terminally ill, would you want the right to die?,” Las Vegas Sun, 5/11/2015
- “Nevadans deserve a dignified-death debate,” Reno News & Review, 5/14/2015
Elsewhere
- Alabama: The Death with Dignity conversation is starting in the Yellowhammer State. “‘I want that power to decide:” A story of illness, dying and what it means to live,” AL.com, 5/17/15
- Alaska: The Death with Dignity conversation continues in the Last Frontier State. “Debating the right to die in Alaska: A husband’s final letter,” KTUU (NBC), 5/15/15
- Colorado: The Durango Herald calls on the state legislature to adopt a Death with Dignity bill next year. “Death with dignity,” The Durango Herald, 5/16/15
- Delaware: Rep. Paul Baumbach has started circulating a Death with Dignity bill in the legislature. “‘Death with Dignity’ bill to be introduced,” Delaware Online, 5/14/15
- New Jersey: The bill approved by the Assembly last year has stalled in the Senate. “New Jersey Needs A “Death With Dignity” Law,” PolitickerNJ, 05/14/2015
- New York: Buffalo News, too, calls for Death with Dignity legislation in its state. “New York should consider joining states that allow doctors to help terminally ill patients die,” Buffalo News, 05/16/2015
Other Stories
- A physician’s take on honoring patients’ end-of-life wishes. “[J]ust because more tests and procedures exist for patients does not mean that we should necessarily perform them all,” she writes. “Sometimes the most powerful healing of all comes through the simple act of sitting and listening to our patients with compassion. “Invaluable lessons about what a “good death” might look like,” KevinMD.com, 5/7/2015
- Stories like this one tend to turn people into supporters of Death with Dignity—for a reason. “Dying with Dignity,” Huffington Post, 5/13/2015
- In addition to filmmaking, Death with Dignity is inspiring poetry. “Death with Dignity,” by Kathryn Denny on AllPoetry.com, 5/12/2015
- The Death with Dignity conversation and legislation have stimulated improvements in the provision and utilization of palliative care and hospice. “Assisted-suicide debate focuses attention on palliative, hospice care,” Modern Healthcare, 5/16/2015
Featured image by carterse.
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