The presentation will be about the Medical Aid in Dying Act and its status in the NYS Legislature. Medical aid in dying is the process by which a mentally competent, decisionally capable, terminally ill adult patient can obtain a prescription of medication from a doctor which the patient may ingest to end suffering and achieve a peaceful death. It is currently legal in nine states (Oregon, Washington, California, Montana, Colorado, Maine, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Vermont) and the District of Columbia.
Featured speakers include:
David C. Leven, Executive Director Emeritus and Senior Consultant, End of Life Choices New York. He has worked on the issue of medical aid in dying for 17 years and on the Medical Aid in Dying Act.
Assembly Member Richard Gottfried, a member of the Assembly since 1970 and chair of the Assembly Health Committee since 1987. He is a sponsor of the Medical Aid in Dying Act.
Assembly Member Amy Paulin, a member of the Assembly since 2001 and chair of the Assembly Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions. She is the lead Assembly sponsor of the Medical Aid in Dying Act.
Barbara A. Backer, RN, DSW, Professor Emerita, Department of Nursing, Lehman College, CUNY. She is living with cancer.
Questions & Answers will follow the presentation.
Registration is required.