Fighting for Compassionate End-of-Life Laws
Moving from California to Oregon was not in the plan, Dan Diaz recalled.
But it was the only place where his young wife, Brittany Maynard, wanted to live because that鈥檚 where she wanted to die.
Maynard, then 29 and terminally ill with brain cancer, had gained in 2014 after she moved to Oregon to medically end her life under the state鈥檚 鈥淒eath with Dignity Act.鈥
She chronicled her final months and weeks in a series of moving .
Today, in honor of his wife, Diaz continues the battle to support similar laws in the U.S., where six states including California now allow medical aid in dying.
Diaz will co-host a public forum on end-of-life choices and palliative care at 海角直播, Wednesday, March 29 at 5:30 p.m.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important for the future generation of healthcare providers to know that death is not failure,鈥 Diaz said. 鈥淏rittany had a supportive team, but the terminally ill should not have to move to another state to find that support.鈥
Yet those state laws could see a renewed challenge in Judge Neil Gorsuch, the Supreme Court nominee whose book has rekindled a debate around end-of-life laws and ethics.
Proponents of end-of-life options such as Diaz want to know if Gorsuch will support their efforts if cases were to reach the Supreme Court. .
鈥淧atients need to be at the center of all decisions,鈥 Diaz said. 鈥淚ncluding their end-of-life decisions. Too often healthcare providers can forget there鈥檚 a person at the center of all this, so it鈥檚 important that all of us play a role in making sure these rights don鈥檛 go away.鈥
At the forum, Dr. Jeffery N. Stoneberg, D.O., a leading expert in palliative care will also discuss the relatively new form of medical care and how it distinguishes from hospice.
鈥淎lthough palliative care and hospice share quality-of-life goals, they鈥檙e different in important ways,鈥 Stoneberg said. 鈥淣ot everyone who鈥檚 touched by a palliative care physician has a terminal illness but they need help with advance care planning.
鈥淔or students, it鈥檚 important to recognize that every person is different and their desires for treatment needs to be individualized,鈥 Stoneberg added.
The event is the 27th Annual Picchi Memorial Lecture, named in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Picchi, which aims to inform the community about pressing medical topics and raise funds for the John A. Graziano Memorial Library.
To RSVP call 510.869.8628 or email gcaya@samuelmerritt.edu
