This month marks one year since the World Health Organization formally declared the coronavirus outbreak had reached pandemic proportions. The 12 months since have been filled with constant reminders that life truly is unpredictable — and so is death.

Our work and mission took on increased importance this past year as we worked to educate and empower people to chart their own end-of-life journey and to advocate for advances in healthcare quality, delivery and accessibility at life’s end. We hope we’ve helped people understand that while life is unpredictable in many ways, there is a lot we can do to make those last months, weeks and days if not peaceful, then perhaps bearable for ourselves and our loved ones.  

Medical aid in dying is one of those ways. We are still elated by the anticipated authorization of medical aid in dying in New Mexico. The governor is expected to sign the bill into law by the end of the month, making New Mexico the 10th state and 11th jurisdiction to authorize the deeply meaningful option of medical aid in dying. This victory continues the trend of authorizing an average of one new state per year as we continue progressing toward our strategic goal that half the U.S. population lives in an authorized state by 2028. 

We also celebrate the defeat of a bill in Montana that would have allowed the state to prosecute doctors and imprison them simply for writing a prescription for aid-in-dying medication for a mentally capable terminally ill adult who requests it to peacefully end their suffering.

I encourage you to take a moment to watch a new documentary, When My Time Comes, from Peabody-award-winning journalist and my friend Diane Rehm, who takes an in-depth look at medical aid in dying through interviews with people on all sides of the issue. The documentary will be available on PBS stations in April (check your local listings for airtimes). In the meantime, if you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to read Diane’s companion book of the same title.

On these first few days of spring, I can’t help but feel a sense of renewal and rejuvenation. We are not out of the woods with the COVID pandemic by any means, but there is hope for the future. Our movement is bringing greater humanity to life’s end — we have unstoppable momentum largely because of you. 

With tremendous gratitude,

Kim
@KimCallinan

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