Reprinted with permission. By Elia Lawatsch I recently learned that my dear friend, Val Lovelace, is retiring as the Executive Director of Maine Death with Dignity, and I’ve been sitting with the news ever since. It landed in my chest in that familiar way that only truly meaningfulCONTINUE READING »
Category: News
Hospice and MAiD: Collaboration and Cooperation, Building a Continuum of Care
Give yourself the gift of time and take in this important conversation (about 70 minutes) between Dr. Jeremy Boal, former Chief Medical Officer of Mt. Sinai Medical System, who recently learned he has ALS, and Professor David Hoffman, Clinical Ethicist, Healthcare Attorney, and Advisor to the Completed LifeCONTINUE READING »
Freeport Visit
We had a lovely time in Freeport on October 5, 2022, with the good folks at Maine Senior Guide. Maine Death with Dignity's Executive Director, Val Lovelace, was the keynote speaker!
Death with Dignity: How I helped my Dad Die
This story is reposted in it's entirety from Bloomberg Business Week, where it was originally published by journalist Esmé Deprez, daughter of Maine resident Ron Deprez, on January 27, 2021. An additional link is also provided to a similar republication from January 28, 2021, by NDTV. Our deepestCONTINUE READING »
The Spirit of Dirigo: Celebrating One Year of Implementation in Maine
Republished from Death with Dignity National Center. One year ago, on September 19, 2019, the Maine Death with Dignity Act went into effect and implementation of the law began. Many years of grassroots organizing and legislative partnerships paved the way for passage of the law. But the success ofCONTINUE READING »
Maine Patient on “Making the Call”
Karen Wentworth, a resident of South Portland, Maine, shares her experience as a terminally ill patient qualifying for the Maine Death with Dignity Act on "Making the Call," a medical ethics podcast. Joined by Peg Sandeen, PhD, Executive Director of Death with Dignity National Center, they discuss withCONTINUE READING »
From the Board
OUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we know as the "State of Maine" and "United States of America." We know they and their descendants suffered and continue to suffer in unimaginable ways at the hands of colonialism. We acknowledge that we live, work andCONTINUE READING »
Update: May 2020
Living and Dying in Maine Our days are warmer, the sun higher, the sky more clear. 2020 has thus far been a long haul. Who knows what the future will bring to us, our communities, and our planet? We're lucky here. We have access to the Maine Death withCONTINUE READING »
Update: April 2020
I don't know about you, but it feels to me like we are in a time warp. So much has changed recently. With Health Care Decisions Day (April 16) right around the corner and a pandemic in our faces, I am certain of only one thing now: Death.CONTINUE READING »
Update: March 2020
As we all make plans to hunker down over the next several weeks while we in Maine do our part to slow the spread of Covid-19, I wanted to check in with a brief update. Maine's Death with Dignity Act is bringing comfort to patients in our state, justCONTINUE READING »
It’s My Death
It's My Death transitioned to operating in Maine as Maine Death with Dignity (still holding 501(c)(3) non-profit status) on October 1, 2019. That's exciting news! To clarify, a little history is important. In 2013, Valerie Lovelace founded the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit called It's My Death (IMD). As a partCONTINUE READING »
Implementation of the Maine Death with Dignity Act
A recent article by WGME, "Maine's death with dignity law is in effect. Here's how the roll out is going." highlights some of the activities happening to implement Maine's new law. There is still misinformation floating around about whether the law is in effect, and if so, toCONTINUE READING »
MaineHealth on Maine’s new death with dignity law
Announced in Village Soup on September 19, 2019, MaineHealth has decided it will support its patients and care teams in relation to Maine's new law. In a statement published by VillageSoup, MaineHealth said this about the Maine Death with Dignity Act: “MaineHealth has been reviewing the legislation andCONTINUE READING »
Mainers win death with dignity law
We did it. It's finally, finally ours. Opposition to the Maine Death with Dignity Act reported they do not have enough signatures to submit for a veto question. We have changed the course of Maine's history and our dying loved ones may now have the control they desireCONTINUE READING »
Press Release: Mainers with Terminal Illness Gain a Dignified Option for Life’s End
Governor Mills Signing of the Maine Death with Dignity Act Culminates Grassroorts Campaign to Expand End-of-Life Options Maine Death with Dignity applauds Governor Janet Mills for signing the Death with Dignity Act into law today. Valerie Lovelace, Steering Committee Chair said, “With Governor Mills' signature, Maine proudly joinsCONTINUE READING »