Completed Life 2nd Annual Fall Conference | November 4-16th, 2021

Presenters: Dr. Frances Norwood, PhD; Dr. Mara Buchbinder, PhD, author of Scripting Death: Stories of Assisted Dying in America

Moderator: Sarah Kiskadden-Bechtel, Program Director

Aid-in-dying is legal in eleven jurisdictions in the United States, including the District of Columbia. Advocates know the often-insurmountable odds of passing right to die legislation. Yet, what happens once the right to die is legal? Session One will explore the stories of assisted dying in the United States. These stories will represent the perspectives of patients, their families, and caretakers, as well as healthcare attorneys and policy makers, who now face what happens after the hard-won battle for legalization. What barriers persist once the right to die is legal? This session will explore exactly what challenges remain, as well as seek insight on how to resolve them.

Presenters: Dr. Timothy E. Quill, MD; Thaddeus M. Pope, JD PhD

Moderator: Sarah Kiskadden-Bechtel, Program Director

Session Two provides a narrative overview of Major Right-to-Die Legal Cases in the United States as a historic and legal roadmap of where we’ve been as we evaluate the future of the movement. Looking back at these major legal decisions, our speakers explore the historic challenges faced by efforts to establish a right to die. Experts Quill and Pope present which decisions advocates have had to accept, and which were unsuccessful attempts at passing aid-in-dying; which restrictions were imposed (e.g., framing the discussion in terms of “assisted suicide” compared to “assisted dying”), and how to see these decisions modified; and whether and how they are too restrictive.

Presenters: Dr. Lonny Shavelson, MD; Tracey A. Bush, MSW, LCSW
Moderator: Sarah Kiskadden-Bechtel, Program Director

Unwanted care and care that is not well-considered is still the most prevalent assault on people’s right to how their lives end. Conversely, those who have a lifetime of experiencing a stark inequity in healthcare coverage may prompt underserved populations to pursue the “do everything” model of end-of-life healthcare. How do we balance the absence of a right to healthcare with avoiding the end-of-life conveyor belt? How would diverse communities wish to be approached and supported regarding their end-of-life experience? Session Three will evaluate concerns regarding diverse communities, communities of color, and communities with disabled individuals who may feel targeted or disadvantaged by their lack of access to standard healthcare benefits (e.g. before age of 65 with eligibility for Medicare).

Presenters: Asunción Álvarez del Río, PhD (Mexico); Lucas Correa Montoya, JD (Colombia)
Moderator: Sarah Kiskadden-Bechtel, Program Director


What is the global significance of the right-to-die movement, and how does it relate to the big tent concept of the completed life? Session Four explores ways countries other than the United States view aid-in-dying, and will provide information about what is going on in the rest of the world, with specific focus on countries in Latin America. With esteemed end-of-life scholars Asunción Álvarez del Río, Ph.D. and Lucas Correa Montoya, JD, Session Four closes our conference by highlighting how other cultures are maneuvering end-of-life practices. As we look at existing policies in Mexico and Colombia, we consider how advocates in countries other than the United States navigate end-of-life planning within the global conversation of the right-to-die movement and with specific regard to the implementation of Medical Aid in Dying.