Digest This: Dying right

Learn how to make your end-of-life wishes known and why those wishes might be ignored. Discover why leaders in the “aid-in-dying” movement say the term “doctor-assisted suicide” is all wrong.

Digest This is a weekly, hour-long online discussion hosted by WHYY’s Health and Science team. Join us every Tuesday at noon. Log in at lunchtime to pose questions to experts and our reporters, voice opinions, and connect to people with similar concerns.

THIS WEEK’S TOPIC: Dying Right

Death grabs headlines — and our emotions. This summer talk about “death panels” hijacked the health overhaul debate for several weeks. In the fall, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued new guidelines for Catholic hospitals caring for patients in a persistent vegetative state. And on the last day of 2009, Montana became the third state to clear legal barriers for doctor-assisted suicide. Learn how to make your end-of-life wishes known and why those wishes might be ignored. Discover why leaders in the “aid-in-dying” movement say the term “doctor-assisted suicide” is all wrong.

When: 12:00 noon (EST) Tuesday, January 19.

Where: Right here. Click the blue button in the right sidebar to join the chat.

Moderator: Taunya English

This week’s guest:

Barbara Coombs Lee PA, FNP, JD is president of the nonprofit education and advocacy group Compassion & Choices. She practiced as a nurse and physician assistant for 25 years before beginning a career in law and health policy. She has devoted her professional life to individual choice and empowerment in health care. As a private attorney, counsel to the Oregon State Senate, a managed care executive, and finally, as a Chief Petitioner for the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, she has championed initiatives that enable individuals to consider a complete range of choices and be full participants in their health care decisions.

Thaddeus M. Pope JD, PhD is an Associate Professor of Law and member of the Health Law Institute at Widener University School of Law. His most recent scholarship focuses on bioethics, torts, medical futility and hard paternalism in public health law. He tracks recent developments in end-of-life health law at medicalfutility.blogspot.com.