End of Life Washington Summer 2016 Newsletter

End of Life Washington’s Summer 2016 Newsletter is now available. It’s been almost a year since the last newsletter from End of Life Washington. We are pleased to present the Summer 2016 edition in which we talk about all the change and progress in the works....

A Death with Dignity, By Judith Gordon, Phd, End of Life Washington Board Member Perry called to say goodbye about ten days before his death.  We hadn’t seen each other for over twenty-five years, but I recognized his voice immediately, even though it was weak and...

I’m a Christian With Stage IV Cancer. I Want Death With Dignity.

By Corrine Johns-Treat, August 10, 2016, Time I’ve had cancer now for four years. I was diagnosed with stage-three lung cancer in 2012. It was a surprise to my family and to myself. I don’t smoke. I exercised regularly. I was 58. I didn’t expect to still be here. But...

How assisted suicide is gradually becoming lawful in America

By S.M., June 13, 2016, The Economist [disclaimer: End of Life Washington does not support the use of the term “Assisted Suicide” to describe Death with Dignity. To learn more, read our article “Language Matters.”] California, America’s most...

What Doctors Know About How Bad It Is, and Won’t Say

By Paula Span, July 1, 2016, The New York Times Until a severe stroke sent him to a neurological intensive care unit in December 2014, Ernest Kohn was a particularly vibrant 90-year-old, still teaching a graduate economics class at Queens College. So his family...

Study Asks, What Is a ‘Good Death’?

By Amy Norton, March 30, 2016, Health Daily At the end of their lives, most people want peace, as little pain as possible, and some control over how they die, a new research review finds. Researchers said the study gives some sense of how people typically define a...

Dying In A Hospital Means More Procedures, Tests And Costs

Dying In A Hospital Means More Procedures, Tests And Costs By Alison Kodjak, June 15, 2016, NPR People who die in the hospital undergo more intense tests and procedures than those who die anywhere else. An analysis by Arcadia Healthcare Solutions also shows that...

Who Makes Sure Hospital Mergers Do No Harm? Almost Nobody.

By Patrick G. Lee, June 9, 2016, Pro Publica This story was co-published with Mother Jones. Mergers have become commonplace as hospital mega-chains increasingly dominate the American health-care market. But these deals often go unscrutinized by state regulators, who...

Brittany Maynard’s true legacy

By Dan Diaz, June 7, 2016, CNN A little more than 18 months ago, I held my wife, Brittany Maynard, in my arms as she fell asleep and passed away, peacefully. She did so after consuming aid-in-dying medication, instead of allowing brain cancer to continue imposing its...