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UPCOMING EVENTS  HSSD Founder and President Faye Girsh and Board Secretary Christie Golem will present a history of our organization and an overview of end-of-life choices. Audience members are encouraged to ask questions and share comments. Whether you’re new to the Right to Die movement, or a long-time Hemlock member, we believe you’ll find this back-to-basics meeting interesting and informative. The Zoom link will be emailed to you in a confirmation from Zoom. Check your spam folder if you don’t find it in your inbox.Register for the Zoom Link  Celebrate Dia de los Muertos With End of Life Partners & OthersSunday, November 2nd 1:30 to 4:00pmAt Silver Lining Cremations 421 S. Andreasen Dr., EscondidoWe’ll watch the academy award winning movie COCO and indulge in amazing Day of the Dead cakes and goodies! Enjoy the positive spin on death this movie and holiday represent. Costumes welcome! Thanks to Tatiana Maka for her gracious hospitality and to Hemlock Society of San Diego for organizing it!! To cover expenses, please send a check payable to Hemlock Society of San Diego by October 24th to:P.O. Box 600481 San Diego, CA 92160Or purchase your tickets onlineTickets  Dec. 14th, 1:30 to 3:00pm PT (Zoom): Three local doctors will talk about their personal take on aid in dying. Jan. 17th, 1:30 to 3:00pm PT (Hybrid): Kathryn Tucker: “Psychedelic Assisted Therapy at the End of Life” Feb. 14th, 1:30 to 3:00pm PT: Professor Thaddeus Pope: “Death and Dementia” Stay tuned for details in our upcoming newslettersORGANIZATIONAL NEWS  Thanks to the incredible generosity of 95 individual donors, the Hemlock Society made its summer fundraising goal of $20,000 in just 6 weeks! We are overwhelmed with gratitude for your phenomenal support. Founder and President Faye Girsh will match each donation dollar-for-dollar to help ensure the sustainability of our mission. We are looking forward to another year of growth, innovation, and educational opportunities in 2026. We cannot do this work without you! A BIG HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO ALL!!  If you’re looking for a way to make a more significant difference, turn spare time into caring time, or need a break from mundane activities, we should talk. The Hemlock Society of San Diego makes it possible for individuals to face their mortality with dignity and peace, equipping them with the resources they need to plan their final chapter and make informed decisions that enable choice, dignity, and control at the end of life. Making this happen for thousands of people takes a village and an important part of the Hemlock Society’s village is our board of directors. The diverse individuals who govern our organization have a front-row seat to the transformation of countless suffering individuals from despair and fear to acceptance and peace, and there’s a seat at that table for you. If you’re interested in using your time and skills to help us provide hope for a better way to die, we should talk. You can reach out to us by phone at 619-233-4418 or email us at HemlockSanDiego@gmail.com. We invite you to sit in on a monthly Zoom board meeting to meet our dedicated leadership team and see if there’s a role that’s right for you on the Hemlock Society board.  Imagine a world where everyone has the ability to choose and plan a peaceful and dignified death on their own terms. The Hemlock Society of San Diego is striving to make that a reality through our educational and advocacy programs. Become a member of our community today and help us empower the next generation. Your tax-deductible membership dues make a difference. Membership – New or Renewal  A special word of thanks goes to these donors who contributed $100 or more during the month of September.Donna Cross Kathleen McHenry Niki Shafer Stephanie Tarkington  Nitrogen Workshops Canceled Announcing NuTech 2.0One of the activities that has been the most popular with Hemlock members is the FEN (Final Exit Network) workshops every year. We were looking forward to two day-long workshops in October, but, unfortunately, they were cancelled by FEN. We called everyone who registered with regrets and the offer to refund all deposits. The people we spoke with were disappointed but good-natured, appreciative of what we had attempted, and even generous. Thanks everyone! The FEN workshops would have provided instructions on the use of the Nitrogen method. The Nitrogen method came out of the group, NuTech, started by Derek Humphry, which explored many ways to achieve a peaceful death. With the political picture as threatening as it is, we believe it would be productive to work on two fronts: Changing the Medical Aid in Dying law to make it more inclusive Looking for new alternative methods of hastening death If you’d like to join an informal ad hoc committee, NuTech 2.0, to focus on these two fronts, please let me know. Faye Girsh: fayegirsh@msn.com  Explore Your Legacy Giving Options  On September 21st, we were joined by 100 Zoom participants to hear from Jim Van Buskirk and Jenny Mowry from Final Exit Network. Our guest speakers presented a highly informative inside look at FEN Exit Guides and the clients they serve. You can check out our other educational videos on our website or YouTube channel featuring guest speakers from past Hemlock Society meetings. Please share them with others who may need to learn their options for a peaceful and dignified death. In case you missed our last meeting, or want to see it again, here is the link to the video. Watch the Video  For a donation of $50 to the Hemlock Society of San Diego, we will send you a copy of There at the End: Voices from Final Exit Network. Reader review: “I’ve just begun reading a handful of the stories and am feeling a wonderful combination of love, peace, gratitude and community in reading each one. Even though the circumstances described in the pieces may vary, the overall reaction I have is one of having been gifted. Thank you so much for this book as it’s touched me deeply.”Donate  Click here for more information RTD NEWS RECAPOhio Man Dies of ALS Just 1 Day After Pleading to Lawmakers for Medical Aid in Dying: ‘He Fought to the End’David Hollister was diagnosed with ALS and wanted to end his life with medical aid in dying rather than “suffer needlessly”MAID is illegal in Ohio, where Hollister lives, so he published a personal essay on Sept. 2, pleading with lawmakers to change the current legislationThe following day, on Sept. 3, Hollister died from ALS and his wife Dana shared that he “fought to the end just for his choice” Click Here to Read the Article  By Christie Golemb, HSSD Board Secretary California is on the cusp of a historic milestone. SB 403, authored by Senator Catherine Blakespear, has passed both the Senate and Assembly and now awaits Governor Newsom’s signature. Once signed, it will secure the future of the End of Life Option Act by removing its 2031 expiration date.Securing What We Fought ForSince 2016, the End of Life Option Act has given peace of mind to thousands of Californians. For nearly a decade, terminally ill adults have had the ability to decide, with dignity, how their story will end. Families, too, have found comfort knowing their loved ones could avoid needless suffering.The looming sunset date has been a source of worry for patients, advocates, and physicians alike. With SB 403, we can finally look forward without that uncertainty.Proof That the Law WorksNine years of data show exactly what we always knew:· In 2024, 1,591 Californians received prescriptions; 1,032 chose to use them.· 92% were over 60.· Nearly 95% were already in hospice or palliative care.The safeguards remain strong, and the law continues to serve the people it was designed for.Looking AheadThis is a victory to celebrate—not just for our movement, but for every Californian who values autonomy and compassion at life’s end. Senator Blakespear captured it best: “This is a deeply personal decision that every individual should have the authority and right to make.”With SB 403, California stands ready to ensure that right endures.Woman Was ‘Speechless’ After Getting Text from Mom Asking Her to Research Assisted Suicide: ‘Too Miserable to Go On’Gayle Hamer, 82, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer eight years ago; her disease became terminal last yearIn February, Hamer sent her daughter Shannon Bennett a text message asking her to research assisted suicideHamer shared her story before her death, and Bennett later discussed the heartbreaking loss while saying she was glad her mom had the option of medical aid in dying Click Here to Read the Article Research Handbook on Voluntary Assisted Dying Law, Regulation and PracticeBen P. White brings together global experts to discuss the law and practice of VAD in all permitting jurisdictions worldwide. They explore contested questions about eligibility, those with mental disorders and those who express feeling ‘tired of life’, as well as examining how best to regulate this practice. Chapters delve into case studies across the Americas and Europe of medical assistance in dying and euthanasia, addressing holistic approaches, as well as the matter of organ and tissue donation. The Research Handbook also evaluates key factors in policymaking, such as choice and autonomy, conscience, palliative care, disability rights, feminism and First Nations’ experiences.Order the Book |
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