In a widely shared video from the Baltimore Ravens, Coach Jim Harbaugh recounts a recent email he received from former Raven and currently Senior Adviser to Player Engagement O.J. Brigance. The email from O.J. begins with a powerful statement: “We are being formed, shaped and fashioned through the fire of adversity.” While O.J.’s message was about...
Read MoreOver the last few months since California legalized physician-assisted suicide,there have been numerous media accounts of assisted suicide “parties.” According to articles like this on Yahoo news, people who have chosen to end their life under the assisted suicide law are gathering friends and family one last time to celebrate before taking the lethal prescription. There are...
Read MoreA moving and thoughtful piece recently ran in the Washington Post in which the author describes the final months with her husband who had terminal cancer. It’s an important story that honestly explores what it’s like when a loved one is going through the last stages of life. The full article can be found by clicking here. Perhaps not surprisingly, positive stories about the value of time...
Read MoreAlmost a year after Governor Brown signed the bill legalizing the practice of physician-assisted suicide in the state, the law is now coming under fire from a group of doctors who are taking it to the courts. This past week a judge ruled that while he would not put the practice of physician assisted suicide...
Read MoreIn August 2016, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) released the 14th edition of their annual report measuring state activity to reduce cancer incidence and mortality, entitled “How Do You Measure Up?” This report not only measures how each state is currently doing, but also includes ideas about how policymakers can help...
Read MoreA recent op-ed in the LA Times may read like a strong argument in support of the new physician assisted suicide law in California, but as the title hints, this law does not provide patients with a terminal illness any dignity. And as the author points out, perhaps inadvertently, the real-life implementation of this law...
Read MoreAn article in The Week examined a recent study on physician assisted suicide in the U.S. and across the world, writing about how the study paints a generally positive picture of PAS implementation. However, as the article notes, the study includes some very troubling findings that should not be ignored. First, the study which was...
Read MoreNew York State remains one of the most contentious battlefields in the fight against physician assisted suicide legislation. Proponents recently claimed that a bill will pass within the next two years – despite a recent ruling by the New York Court of Appeals upholding a New York law prohibiting assisted suicide. In that ruling the...
Read MoreWhile Canadian parliament recently approved right-to-die legislation, legalizing the practice across the country, opposition from hospice and palliative care centers has not gone unnoticed. Canada will now allow hospice and palliative care centers to opt-out of providing medical aid to die. The executive director of the West Island Centre for Palliative Care told the Montreal...
Read MoreWe would like to remind everyone about the importance of honoring and investing in the unseen care our medical professionals are giving those whose time may be short. The New Yorker recently brought to light the daily work of a hospice worker and how comprehensively they work to care for patients. The incredibly moving piece...
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