World Leaders in Right to Die with Dignity Movement to Meet in Chicago
Members of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies, comprising 52 organizations in 27 countries, will meet in Chicago September 17-21. Hosting is Final Exit Network, an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization serving members in the United States who are suffering from intolerable physical conditions and are considering ending their misery and their lives.
The presenters will include the giants of our global movement, death-with-dignity’s forerunners. Each speaker has historically played an important part in allowing our collective voice to be heard. They will air developments in their respective countries and discuss issues that break current barriers, such as old -age rational suicide and euthanasia for consenting children. Their stories are replete with risk-taking, courage, and drama. Audience members will reap from this conference a far deeper understanding of the issues involved.
All the delegates’ presentations – no matter how controversial, leading-edge, and provocative – will be open to the press. Among them will be those from the Netherlands and Switzerland and others from the vanguard of the Movement, our “elders,” with wisdom and experience to share. The full program and speaker biographies are available at http://www.wfconf2014.com/
Delegates will be welcomed by a video recording of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s sharing his support of assisted dying. As a colleague and friend of the late Nelson Mandela he was critical of the drawn-out and undignified death of South Africa’s most famous leader.
FEN is an all-volunteer, 3000 -member organization that offers counseling, support, and specific information on self-deliverance if a member wants to explore that option. FEN President Stephenson stresses that “FEN does not encourage anyone to end his or her life, does not provide the means to do so, and does not actively assist in the person’s death. We do, however, believe in the ultimate human right of people to end their life when medical circumstances justify that choice, and we support them in whatever choice they make.”
In the U.S., only Final Exit Network supports qualified members who are not “terminal” (with a projected 6 months left to live), because some serious diseases create years of misery before that final stage is reached.
Contact this website: www.finalexitnetwork.org, or call 866-654-9156.
Tags: choice in dying, Death With Dignity, Derek Humphry, Dignitas, Final Exit, Final Exit Network, physician-assisted suicide, right to die, Self-Deliverance, terminal illness