Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED) is legal in the United States for a person nearing the end of life who has the capacity to make their own medical decisions. Compassion & Choices and patient-directed hospices typically support VSED with palliative support for patients who are terminal, incurably ill or very frail. Even though it…

Compassion & Choices is dedicated to providing information about the full range of end-of-life options. Recently, we updated our suite of tools to help people understand voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED). VSED involves consciously choosing to refuse food and fluids with the intention of advancing the time of death. These resources are for anyone…

Is Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED) legal? We’ve heard in the media that VSED may not be legal in every state. Yes, VSED is legal nationwide. The U.S. Supreme Court in Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health stated that “a competent person would have a constitutionally protected right to refuse lifesaving hydration and nutrition.”[1] Therefore,…

Dr. Timothy E. Quill, co-editor of the new book, Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking: A Compassionate, Widely Available Option for Hastening Death, will discuss the clinical, ethical, legal and institutional issues that arise in the context of choosing to stop eating and drinking at the end of life or for those suffering from dementia.

Dejar de Comer y Beber Voluntariamente (VSED) es legal en Estados Unidos para una persona que se acerca al final de la vida y que tiene la capacidad mental de tomar sus propias decisiones médicas.Compassion & Choices y los hospicios, como se conocen en Estados Unidos, por lo general suelen apoyar VSED con apoyo paliativo…

¿Es legal Dejar de Comer y Beber Voluntariamente (VSED)? Escuchamos en los medios que VSED podría no ser legal en todos los estados.Sí, VSED es legal en todo el país. La Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos en el caso Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health o Cruzan Contra el Director del Departamento de Salud…

Cheryl’s husband, author David McNally, has written about her diagnosis and decision to VSED, and his role as her caregiver in the PBS website Next Avenue. Read his essays from August 2021 and from January 2023. Cheryl and Wendy shared their story with Compassion & Choices in April of 2022. The following conversation has been edited for length and…

Ben shared his story in April of 2022. In the days since my father’s death, it’s become more and more clear to me how well he planned for the end of his life. He couldn’t have done it better. From the time he was a young man to the day he died, John Griffith was…

Edward Pultz and Wendy Soderlund shared their story with Compassion & Choices (C&C) in April of 2022. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.  Compassion & Choices: How long have you lived in Missouri?  Wendy Soderlund: We’ve lived for almost 42 years in our house here in Farmington. Edward Pultz: We’ve been…

Cathy shared her story in August of 2024. There was nothing typical about my mother. A survivor of a traumatic childhood, Mom healed herself through self-care. She became a yoga teacher and later, in her 50s, an ordained minister and spiritual peacemaker after attending graduate school for her Master of Divinity degree. Every day as…