The UMA Senior College will host a public forum, “Decisions for End of Life Care; Is Assisted Dying on Option?” from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, at UMA’s Jewett Auditorium.

According to a release from the college, a proposal was offered in the last session of the Maine Legislature to permit physicians, under certain restrictions and safeguards, to prescribe medications, which would allow patients with a terminal illness to take their own lives. Such actions presumably would enable patients to determine the time and place of their own death. Though the law did not pass, the issue is still alive.

The forum will be oriented toward giving a broad overview of late-life treatment decisions, and suggest how to view assisted dying within that context.

Speakers include Dr. Thomas Feagin, retired physician, hospice care director and medical ethics specialist; Dr. Thomas Keating, hematologist, oncologist and advocate for palliative and hospice care; and Roger Katz, attorney and state Senator from the Augusta area who sponsored the assisted dying proposal.

The forum is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served during a short break. For more information, contact UMASC at 621-3551, email umasc@maine.edu.


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