Our California team and volunteers hosted the first statewide conference which highlighted our impactful work regarding medical aid in dying, dementia, palliative care, reaching Spanish-speaking and faith communities and normalizing conversations about death. The team was honored to work closely with the family of José Alejandro Lemuz, a 60-year-old California man who died of prostate cancer and was the first Latino to publicly use medical aid in dying. They provided guidance and resources for Lemuz to navigate the complex health system and access the California End of Life Option Act which allowed him to die the way he wanted — peacefully, not painfully.
Compassion & Choices, alongside advocates and clinicians, praised Colorado Gov. Jared Polis for signing legislation in June to significantly improve access to medical aid in dying for terminally ill patients. “We thank Gov. Polis and Colorado lawmakers for reviewing the evidence, listening to their constituents and taking action to ensure that eligible Coloradans have access to medical aid in dying,” said Kim Callinan, president and CEO of Compassion & Choices. “Colorado lawmakers join California, Hawai‘i, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington in ensuring their medical aid-in-dying law eliminates unnecessary barriers while maintaining needed safeguards.” The updated law took effect Aug. 7.
Our mighty Florida team had an exciting summer season. They participated in various Pride Month festivals where they showcased Finish Strong tools with diverse life planning communities. They also held a workshop at the Florida Conference on Aging. The team continues its efforts to inform residents about the full array of end-of-life care options including medical aid in dying. Stay up to date on our activities by joining us on Facebook and look out for our next Florida newsletter. We look forward to connecting with you and appreciate your support in empowering diverse communities throughout the Sunshine State.
The Illinois team continues in full force to advance SB 3499 to authorize medical aid in dying in the Prairie State. Supporters made 1,600 contacts with legislators and earned more than 100 news stories in English and Spanish since the bill was introduced in February. We reached thousands of readers and viewers through stories that highlight storytellers like Lombard resident Deb Robertson, a retired social worker with a rare type of terminal cancer and Naperville resident Suzy Flack, whose only son Andrew, utilized medical aid in dying in California.
On July 24, Compassion & Choices Action Network hosted an End-of-Life Options Massachusetts Coalition news conference and rally at the State House. Speakers included Sen. Jo Comerford, Rep. Jim O’Day, advocates JoAnn Vizziello, David Storto and Dr. Roger Kligler. Afterward, advocates delivered storybooks to all 200 legislative offices. Simultaneously, a mobile digital billboard circulated Beacon Hill, Boston Common and Boston Public Library, highlighting the stories of advocates and urging lawmakers to pass the End-of-Life Options Act before the formal session ended on July 31. While that didn’t happen, the historic legislative progress in 2024 bodes well for 2025.
On June 15, the Compassion & Choices Michigan team hosted the quarterly Midwest “Train the Advocate” workshop to prepare Midwestern advocacy in action advocacy in action volunteers to advocate for all our work, ranging from dementia resources to medical aid in dying. Thirty- two volunteers attended the five-hour training, including 10 from Michigan. On June 18, Compassion & Choices Michigan volunteers Dorothy Engelman and Lisa Perhamus gave a presentation at the North Muskegon Library. It marked the Michigan Action Team’s first event on the western edge of the state as we work to expand our geographical reach and bring our message to a wider audience.
In May, Rep. Mike Freiberg, author of the Minnesota End-of-Life Options Act, spoke at a Beth Jacob Congregation event entitled, “Medical Aid in Dying: Jewish and Bioethical Considerations,” sponsored by Scientists in Synagogues. The main speaker was Rabbi Elliot Dorff, who has authored or co-authored over 30 books and published more than 200 articles on Jewish theology, law and ethics. He changed his position in 2020 from opposing to supporting medical aid in dying in certain circumstances for terminally ill individuals. Approximately 50 people attended. Three individuals said they would like to get involved in the Minnesota legislative campaign.
The Compassion & Choices New Jersey team is working with government relations consultants to address barriers to accessing medical aid in dying. For example, communities of color — Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders and American Indians — represent 47% of the population but only 10% of the individuals who have used the law. Steps include reducing the 15-day waiting period between two oral requests for terminally ill adults who are not expected to survive it, lifting the residency requirement and addressing healthcare inequities by ensuring dying individuals who can’t afford the medication have an avenue to access it.
The Compassion & Choices New York team came agonizingly close to persuading the legislature to pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act before the session ended on June 8, securing the endorsement of Speaker Carl Heastie. “Unfortunately, Sen. Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins claimed there were not enough votes in her Democratic caucus to pass the bill,” said Corinne Carey, senior campaign director for Compassion & Choices in New York. “The reality is we could have passed the bill with a bipartisan vote in both chambers. Now, we just need to laser focus on persuading the senate majority leader to allow a vote in 2025.”
Compassion & Choices’ federal team continues to work hard to prevent Congress from repealing D.C.’s Death with Dignity Act and prohibiting D.C. from purportedly passing such legislation in the future. The House Appropriations Committee approved a policy rider attached to last year’s House Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill, which has jurisdiction over DC’s budget, but failed to bring up the legislation for a vote. Today, the House has, once again, attached a similar rider (Section 819), but, as last time, failed to bring up the latest bill for a vote. In the meantime, the Senate has approved its version of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, but without this onerous policy rider. We continue to work with D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes-Norton to ensure Congress maintains D.C.’s Death with Dignity law.
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