In May and June of this year, VSED Resources board member Kate Christie joined attorney Erin Glass in presenting on VSED at two Washington-based legal conferences. The first, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, met in Seattle and attracted members from all over the country. The second, the Washington State Bar Association’s Real Property, Probate and Trust Section midyear meeting and conference, took place at Semiahmoo Resort and was attended by attorneys from across the state. Glass led the two sessions, each of which focused on VSED with palliative support as a legal end-of-life option, while Christie contributed personal insights as the adult child of two parents who hastened their deaths via stopping eating and drinking.
The presentations were intended for a legal audience, and as such covered an overview of the VSED process; legal justifications for this end-of-life choice, including constitutional law principles and relevant case law; a description of the differences between medical aid-in-dying (MAiD) and VSED; a discussion of force-feeding as battery; an explanation of decisional capacity as it pertains to the choice to refuse food and fluids; a discussion of recommended documentation to prepare for someone who chooses VSED, including the use of an Advanced Directive for VSED; questions of determining timing and location for the process; and a description of factors that contribute to a positive VSED outcome.
Erin Glass, partner at Chuckanut Law Group, is a board member of End of Life Washington and has been involved in end-of-life advocacy for a decade and a half. Kate Christie, author of The VSED Handbook, joined VSED Resources NW in 2020 and has now accompanied both of her parents on their VSED journeys.
