Hemlock Society of San Diego

09/11/2026

HSSD is a longtime member and supporter of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies. The Federation has just launched a new quarterly magazine to strengthen and coordinate the global Right to Die movement. If you'd like to learn more about this publication and how you can subscribe, please click here:

Assisted dying - known as Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) or similar - is now lawful for terminally ill people in an increasing number of jurisdictions around the world.

09/10/2026

A federal judge denied a motion to block the start of Illinois' medical aid in dying law from taking effect this weekend from a lawsuit filed by disability right advocates.

Illinois' End of Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act takes effect Saturday, Sept. 12. It allows some terminally ill patients to seek medical help to die on their own terms.

A federal judge denied a motion to block the start of Illinois' medical aid in dying law from taking effect this weekend from a lawsuit filed by disability right advocates.

09/10/2026

A message from the Academy of Aid in Dying Medicine:

"This Saturday, medical aid in dying becomes legal in Illinois, five weeks after New York. In one summer, 33 million Americans have gained access to this care.

The Academy of Aid-in-Dying Medicine exists to advance the practice of medical aid in dying and to teach and support the interdisciplinary care teams, patients, and families who face this end-of-life choice together. This summer, our clinical faculty trained care teams at major health systems and connected patients seeking this care with clinicians across New York State — from Buffalo to New York City. In addition, clinicians in every state where this care is legal took our courses, and the Journal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine published its third issue on our new journal website, where we now put new research in front of practitioners as soon as it is ready."

If you qualify for MAID and need assistance finding a doctor to prescribe the medications, the Academy has a referral program to connect patients with MAID medical providers in jurisdictions where it is legal.

The Academy does not advocate for patients to participate in aid in dying. We inform and educate clinicians about medical aid in dying, from clinical discussions to evidence-based knowledge, from palliative care to the work of bedside volunteers, from medical ethics to pharmacology, doctors to doula...

09/09/2026

This year’s explores the importance of choice in end-of-life decisions and how CLI Founder Faith Sommerfield’s legacy lives on to empower others.

Join Columbia Bioethics and The Completed Life Initiative on September 24 virtually for "Faith Did What? Faith Sommerfield’s (Final) Trip to Switzerland."

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/faith-did-what-faith-sommerfields-final-trip-to-switzerland-registration-1991500263899?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

09/06/2026

https://kevinmd.com/end-of-life

508 KevinMD essays from 2004 to 2026 on what physicians say about telling patients they are dying, hospice used too late, DNR and directives, assisted dying, and what a patient's death taught them. Every claim named, dated, and linked.

09/04/2026

Shabana Mahmood has been urged to block a controversial right-to-die campaigner dubbed 'Dr Death' from visiting the UK to promote his new 'su***de collar' ahead of a vote on assisted dying.

MPs and campaigners have called on the Home Secretary to prevent Dr Philip Nitschke from coming to the UK to demonstrate his Kairos su***de collar at an event in London on Saturday.

MPs and campaigners have called on the Home Secretary to prevent Dr Philip Nitschke from coming to the UK to demonstrate his Kairos su***de collar at an event in London.

09/04/2026

A start-up was ready on the first day New York's Medical Aid in Dying Law became effective.
Quiĕtus comes from the medieval Latin word quiētus, implying a sense of stillness and eternal rest. They help terminally ill New Yorkers navigate the legal and logistical complexities of the Medical Aid in Dying process, and connect them with the doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and others who can provide the care they need.
The NY Times reports the fee is $12,000.

Quiĕtus is a network of independent clinicians providing medical aid in dying services in New York State.

09/02/2026

https://northsidelivingnews.com.au/celebrating-the-end-of-a-life/

From fireworks made of ashes and wakes for the living, more and more people are choosing how they will celebrate their end of life.

09/01/2026

Dutch News
August 31, 2026

The letter asked prosecutors to investigate the extent to which Milou’s parents and treating physicians had influenced her choice for voluntary euthanasia.

The psychiatrists had never spoken to the girl or her parents and doctors. The federation of doctors KNMG has called the letter “indecent and unacceptable”.

Milou had suffered from mental health problems from the age of 11 following sexual abuse. She was again sexually abused in an institution by another patient.

After years of treatment and various su***de attempts, she chose euthanasia at the age of 17 on the grounds of unbearable mental suffering.

A psychiatrist who co-signed a letter calling for an investigation into the parents of a 17-year-old who died by euthanasia in 2023 has said he apologised to them in 2024, telling the TV programme Zomergasten the letter must have been “incredibly painful” for them to read. Psychiatrist Jim van O...

08/29/2026

California Sen. Blakespear’s Legislation to Strengthen End-of-Life Care Protections Goes to Governor

SB 1088 clarifies end-of-life care directives, so Californians get the medical care they want when they can no longer express their wishes SACRAMENTO – The