The Good Death Society Blog

Feb 03

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Hastening death is not always an easy path: What should Jane do?

By Lamar Hankins | Suffering and Death | 17 Comments

Many people with debilitating and irreversible health conditions do not have supportive family and friends. They include include people with metastatic cancer, irreversible neurological conditions, and multiple medical problems that have taken away any enjoyment and quality of life as determined by them. They no longer want to continue living because they know that their condition will only worsen, and for them it is already beyond bad. There is no realistic hope that their lives will improve. Most of the time, family members and friends are able to see the suffering in their loved one’s life and understand a desire to end the suffering. But this is not always the case, as illustrated in this post.

Jan 27

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The reality of existential suffering

By Lamar Hankins | Suffering and Death | 3 Comments

If we use “existential suffering” as a stand-in for all of the related terms we use, it will help us discuss what we may mean by them. Certainly, distress, dread, angst, anxiety, anguish, or crisis all suggest suffering at least in a mental or psychological sense, a kind of suffering that all people encounter at one point or another in their lives, or even daily. Some existential suffering can be mitigated through changes in circumstances or with the help of others, but when one is dying, whether slowly or rapidly, one may wish to forego the suffering whether or not there may be temporary relief for it.

Jan 20

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Some thoughts about organ and tissue donation when hastening death

By Lamar Hankins | Organ and Tissue Donation | 4 Comments

There is no medical reason why a person who hastens their death because of suffering or unacceptable quality of life should be precluded from being an organ or tissue donor. What is important is the medical history of the prospective donor, the location at time of death, and the timely discovery of the body after a non-hospital death, which affects tissue donation.

Jan 13

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The way Dutch society looks at death and dying

By Cornelis J. "Jack" van Dijk | Suffering and Death | No Comments

A Dutch contribution to how we look at death and dying is provided by Cornelis J. “Jack” van Dyjk.

Jan 06

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Disability and the right to live and die on our own terms

By Lamar Hankins | Choice, Medical Aid in Dying | 9 Comments

Lamar Hankins discusses how the disabled are devalued and prevented from having the same rights non-disabled people have. What a person considers a fulfilling life should be decided by each person, not by the opinion of any other person, including by someone who is disabled.

Nov 25

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Notes on a lecture by Thaddeus Pope about a VSED dementia advance directive

By Lamar Hankins | Advance Directives, Dementia | 4 Comments

Lamar Hankins shares his notes taken from a lecture by Professor Thaddeus Pope, who spoke on the topic “Avoiding Advanced Dementia with a VSED Directive” for the Hemlock Society of San Diego.

Nov 19

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FEN Needs Volunteers

By Huck DeVenzio | Final Exit Network | No Comments

Huck DeVenzio, FEN’s Newsletter Editor, explains the role of volunteers within FEN and the need for volunteers.

Nov 05

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Opposition to medical-assistance-in-dying–Part 3

By Lamar Hankins | Death With Dignity Act | 3 Comments

In this third part of a series analyzing the arguments against medical-assistance-in-dying (MAID) by opponents of physician-assistance in hastening a person’s death in the face of a terminal illness, Lamar Hankins looks at a major reference for most MAID opposition articles – a 2008 Michigan Law Review article, “Physician-Assisted Suicide in Oregon: A Medical Perspective,” by psychiatrist Herbert Hendin and neurologist Kathleen Foley. Both oppose what they term “assisted suicide.”

Oct 28

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Opposition to medical-assistance-in-dying–Part 2

By Lamar Hankins | Death With Dignity Act | 2 Comments

In Part 1 of this series, I addressed ten criticisms of MAID laws, particularly those in Oregon and Washington, though most such laws are modeled largely on Oregon’s law. In Part 2, I look at criticisms of MAID laws concerning economic pressures, coercion, depression, inadequate resources for MAID clients, doctor shopping, inadequate Medicaid rules, ableism, and the failure of the drugs prescribed to MAID clients. My hope is that we can learn from opponents of MAID laws how to make the laws better.

Oct 21

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Opposition to medical-assistance-in-dying–Part 1

By Lamar Hankins | Death With Dignity Act | 2 Comments

With this post, I begin a multi-part series about the views of those who oppose medical-assistance-in-dying (MAID) or have written critically about MAID laws. I think there are some good ideas that we can learn from these critics to help us improve MAID laws, though that is not their intent. They will oppose MAID under any law, no matter how carefully written.