Life Examined
Death with Dignity legislation offers compassion and control
Nine states, including California, have enacted Medical Aid in Dying legislation, allowing those who are terminally ill to end their lives peacefully by taking doctor-prescribed medication.
By Jonathan Bastian • • 51m ListenNine states, including California, have enacted Medical Aid in Dying legislation, allowing those who are terminally ill to end their lives peacefully by taking doctor-prescribed medication. The process of qualifying for this legislation is rigorously managed — few people fit the criteria and even fewer decide ultimately to follow through. So what’s the importance of control in how we face death? Why do endings matter, and not just for those who die?
In this episode
2 storiesAn intimate account of a medically assisted death
In March 2020, Esmé E. Deprez received a text from her father. Suffering from ALS, Ronald David Deprez had had enough.
Read the story34 minCould Death with Dignity legislation open up a slippery slope?
Death and dying are inevitable and a natural part of life’s cycle.
Read the story18 min
