Since early April, most of the emails welcoming me to End of Life Washington (EOLWA) as Executive Director have almost apologetically pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a challenging time to step into my new role. Indeed, it is a time to be adaptable,...
A Client Adviser, Charlie (*named changed), faced a large Chinese family whose matriarch wanted to use the Death with Dignity law to quiet the pain she had felt for months. At one meeting the client, three daughters, three sons-in-law and our Charlie* sat around a...
Along those same lines, a Client Adviser was assigned to a couple who wanted to rush and get the Death with Dignity medication as soon as possible. When he met with them he asked which of them had a terminal disease. They looked at him and then at each other and...
Not every case ends in someone’s death. In fact, a majority of our clients never use the Death with Dignity law. A long-term Client Adviser helped bring peace to one such young man who lived in another state but wanted to come to Washington to use the law. He had been...
Early in the life of Washington’s Death with Dignity Act, one of our ageless, tireless and inspirational lead Client Advisers found herself helping a young woman use the law to end the suffering caused by her brain tumor. The client died without incident after...
A strong, independent woman suffering with terminal cancer and her favorite niece found themselves in an emotional conflict as the aunt approached her Death with Dignity decision. The aunt was not going to be deterred from taking her life-ending medication while the...
Ethicists debate ‘medical aid in dying’ for dementia patients by Tanya Ott Ethicists debate ‘medical aid in dying’ for dementia patients Discussing end-of-life medical care can be really difficult for family, but especially so when the terminal condition is something...
by Bob Egelko, via SF Gate A judge ordered a halt Tuesday to California’s right-to-die law for terminally ill patients, ruling that it was illegally taken up and passed during a special legislative session devoted to health care funding. Unless a higher court...
