Author Archives: Sagebrush Crossing

Read here about how WA’s legislature is planning to review religious health care consolidation leading to limited access to MAID in our state.

Check out the Death with Dignity National Center’s YouTube channel for individual stories about Death with Dignity from around the country. Subscribe to the channel to be notified about new stories. You can also share your story and support the national Death with Dignity movement here.

According to the WA Department of Health’s 2020 Death with Dignity Act report, 6.5% of people who participated in the Death with Dignity Act were diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Reasons for seeking MAID, according the DOH report, include loss of ability to enjoy typical life activities, lossContinue reading “How Does the New ALS Drug Impact MAID?”

(JANUARY 2023 UPDATE: This application decision was successfully appealed by Providence, who is now free to open a hospice in Spokane County that does not support access to Aid in Dying.) As we mentioned in our July 1 post, there are four organizations applying to open hospices in Spokane County. Sagebrush Crossing supports any hospiceContinue reading “Catholic Hospice Rejected in Spokane County”

Opposition to MAID from religiously-affiliated hospitals and hospices, specifically Catholic organizations, presents significant institutional barriers to patient participation. According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, around 40% of hospital beds are in religiously affiliated hospitals and follow the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (2018), which says, “euthanasia  [is] neverContinue reading “Catholic Organizations Restrict Medical Aid in Dying”

The organization Save Secular Healthcare WA is working to ensure that WA residents who are considering hospice care have information about Death with Dignity. Currently there are four religious organizations applying to provide hospice care in Spokane County and we need your support in ensuring that they declare their policies on DWD. Below is aContinue reading “Help Increase Transparency in Hospice Care”

More people living in states outside of Oregon can now access medical aid in dying (MAID) in that state, thanks to a recent federal settlement. This impacts people living in states where MAID is not legal, such as Idaho, as well as people living in states with more restrictive MAID legislation. Read more about itContinue reading “Oregon Stops Enforcing Residency Requirement”

Check out this story about end-of-life from This American Life. Hospice nurses describe their experiences working with people at end-of-life.

Check out Dr. Roger Kliger explain the complexities of MAID in Episode 10 of the Death with Dignity Podcast. Dr. Kliger explains why everyone should support MAID, whether or not they personally would choose it, and explores perceived opposition to these laws.

Last year, House Bill 1141, which would expand access to medical aid in dying (MAID) in WA, failed in the legislature. We will be testifying about the importance of this legislation to our representatives in Olympia on Monday. Eastern Washington residents with terminal illnesses, such as my friend Jim, cannot access physicians in this regionContinue reading “Expand Access to MAID in WA”