On April 5, Hawaii became the seventh state to authorize the practice of medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults. Eighteen percent of the U.S. population now has access to this end-of-life option. Twenty more states, including Minnesota, have introduced similar legislation. As public support grows, communities of faith have the opportunity to engage in this important conversation.
Medical aid in dying (sometimes called death with dignity) authorizes a terminally ill, mentally capable adult to request and obtain from her or his doctor, a medication they may self-ingest for a peaceful death if their suffering becomes unbearable.
Dr. Rebecca Thoman will describe the practice of medical aid in dying including clinical criteria and procedures, present data gleaned from Oregon's Death with Dignity Law, share public opinion survey results and provide opportunity for discussion.
About the Speaker: Rebecca Thoman, M.D. manages the campaign to authorize medical aid in dying for Compassion & Choices in Minnesota. She has worked in health and public health policy for more than 20 years advocating for such issues as gun violence prevention, tobacco control and health care access. She trained in Family Medicine and the University of Minnesota, is a registered lobbyist and was a candidate for the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2000.
About Compassion & Choices
Compassion & Choices is the nation’s largest nonprofit whose mission is to improve care and expand choice at the end of life. We work with individuals and allied organizations throughout America to make medical aid in dying an open, legitimate option recognized throughout the medical field and permitted in more states, and to increase patient control and reduce unwanted interventions at the end of life. www.CompassionAndChoies.org/minnesota
www.facebook.com/compassionandchoicesminnesota
Add new comment