Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, Volume 72, Issue 2, pp. e147-e153, August 2026By Hope A. Wechkin, MD, and Elizabeth T. Loggers, MD Voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED) is an increasingly recognized practice for patients seeking to hasten death. As VSED is legal throughout the U.S. and does not require medical provider involvement, it may […]
Recently, the plenary assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved a revised version of the Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs) for Catholic Health Care Services. The ERDs outline the USCCB’s directives to Catholic-owned and operated health care institutions including hospitals, geriatric practices, hospice organizations, and long-term care facilities. In this, the 7th
American Bishops Ban VSED in Catholic Healthcare Read More »
In a new article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, “Medical aid in dying to avoid late-stage dementia,” authors Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, PhD, and Lisa Brodoff, JD, discuss the plight of patients with dementia who wish to use medical aid-in-dying (MAiD) but are unable to qualify due to an inability to satisfy the
Using VSED as a bridge to MAiD for people with dementia? Read More »
By Andrea Fenwick One of the things that I learned from being a hospice volunteer is that hearing is the last sense that we lose before we die. Even after someone has died, speaking words of kindness, love, and peace offer comfort to those still living; and singing can soothe and bring a sense of
Offering Comfort Through Song Read More »
