Last interviewed for Compassion & Choices magazine 10 years ago, Dolores Huerta, the iconic civil rights activist, is an inspiring force in the end-of-life options movement. She was the inaugural recipient of Compassion & Choices Dolores Huerta Mission and Vision Award for her commitment to expand and protect options at the end of life. At 94, she remains as active and powerful an advocate as ever for people to finish strong.
Even today, Dolores Huerta is living strong.
The movement has come a long way since I joined terminally ill Californians who wanted the option to request medication to die peacefully. I partnered with Compassion & Choices at a time when Latinos were very reluctant to speak about our mortality and how to plan for death.
It is exciting to see Compassion & Choices uplifting the voices of underserved communities who were typically left out. They created leadership councils for Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, LGBTQ+, disabled people, and other communities. As a member of the Compassion & Choices Latino Leadership Council, I have seen us gain different perspectives and experiences that allow us to understand the challenges facing diverse communities.
It is very rewarding to see Compassion & Choices deliver culturally appropriate materials in Spanish for Latinos to understand without having the confusion of trying to read it in English and translate it themselves. We have made tremendous progress, but we still have barriers that we need to break to ensure that no one is left behind. We must continue working together to eradicate healthcare disparities so all people living in America have equal access to the full range of end-of-life care options.
The reality is that we are all going to die. We need to talk about it more. We must take advantage of our time on this earth to plan for our mortality and help prepare others for it, as well.
Working with Compassion & Choices has certainly opened my perspective on the importance of planning for the inevitable. In fact, the disproportionate deaths and healthcare disparities among Latinos during the pandemic made the issue of advance care planning more urgent than ever before.
We must continue to come together as a society to make a bigger impact. It is critical for doctors and healthcare providers to engage in effective end-of-life conversations with their patients. Our gente [people] must have the mentality that planning for the end of life is as important as paying taxes. We must take advantage of our closeness with our familias [families] to talk about what we want at the end of our lives. We must continue to talk to our doctors to prepare for an illness or a time when we can no longer speak for ourselves. We have the power and responsibility to create change. We can do it. Sí se puede [Yes we can].
I have spent my life fighting for better working conditions and the rights of disadvantaged workers, immigrants, and women. I take immense pride in working with Compassion & Choices in improving care, expanding options, and empowering everyone to chart their end-of-life journey.
This issue is very personal to me. I watched my mother suffer horribly before her death from the cancer that spread all over her body. Although this horrific experience happened over 50 years ago, the painful memory of her suffering still lingers. Working with Compassion & Choices is a way to honor my mother. That is why I joined terminally ill Californians to help pass a law to authorize the expansion of options for the end of life, including medical aid in dying, that took effect in 2016. And, that is why I continue to reach out to legislators across the country to seek their support.
In the last 10 years, I have seen the passage of seven laws that expand end-of-life options and the introduction of dozens of bills nationwide that intend to do the same. I also had the opportunity to help pass a law to improve access to the California End of Life Option Act, so that terminally ill adults and their families can more easily access the law without needless suffering and unnecessary roadblocks. These monumental achievements are testaments of diverse communities coming together and not giving up to support this basic human right. My mother always taught me to fight, serve the poor, and never let others dictate what I believe in. I believe this is what keeps me going at 94.
I strongly believe in the power of working together to bring change. We must organize and fight for something we truly believe in. We don’t need to have a recognized name to bring change. Average people can make a difference. We must always look for opportunities to help others in need, come together, and organize as a community. The greatest changes in history were made from people coming together, by fighting for what they believe in without the fear of being shut down.
I encourage you to come forward. Rally, scream as loud as you can. Stand for justice and what to believe in and take action. Let’s knock on as many doors as it takes to open them, no matter how closed they may be. As I often say, we have to convince ourselves that we have the power to make a difference. Once we come together as a community, we will empower ourselves and fight injustices. That is the power of organizing and something we can all do together.
Latino support for medical aid in dying has increased tremendously since I partnered with Compassion & Choices. Today, more terminally ill Hispanics in California have accessed the End of Life Option Act, accessing medical aid in dying.
A California Department of Health report on the End of Life Option Act released in 2024 showed 79% more Hispanics in California used the state’s medical aid-in-dying law in 2023 compared to the less than 3% who used the law in 2022.
It warms my heart to embrace people who come up to me and thank me for helping to open the conversation about planning for the inevitable. They tell me they are fighting for their values and their priorities. They are not allowing anyone to dictate their end-of-life journey. These are the stories that bring change: the stories from mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, sisters, and brothers who knock down the strongest doors to convince others what they believe is best for them. These are the people who help convince legislators what they want at the end of their lives. These are the people who help make a difference on what they want at the end of their lives. I am only here to help amplify their voices.
From left to right: with Bill Monning and Compassion & Choices Chief Advocacy Officer Charmaine Manansala; April 2019 press conference Nevada State Capitol; with Susan Talamantes Eggman at August 2015 California hearing; December 2015 press conference in California
Cover photo courtesy of Amanda Villegas other photos courtesy of J. Emilio Flores, Cindy Hegger and Compassion & Choices
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