Compassion & Choices - New Jersey

03/27/2025

Remembering with fondness Reverend Gillian McAllister. We wish her family peace and warm memories of this extraordinary woman.

Read more about her story and contributions to the movement:
https://compassionandchoices.org/news/remembering-reverend-gillian-mcallister/

08/29/2024

“These laws give everyone the peace of mind of knowing that they have this freedom to make their own decisions at the end of life and chart their own death experience.”

Read more about medical aid-in-dying access and barriers from Compassion & Choices New Jersey Campaign Director Corinne Carey in The New Jersey Monitor.

Over five years, N.J. doctors have evaluated & approved about 300 people to end their lives by self-administering prescribed medication.

09/26/2022

"Everyone deserves equal access to all types of end-of-life care."

Read more from Compassion & Choices National Director Brandi Alexander in The Philadelphia Inquirer about why underserved communities rarely utilize hospice, palliative care and medical aid in dying where it is authorized.

People from historically underserved communities don’t just rarely utilize medical aid in dying; they also are less likely to utilize hospice and other palliative care options.

09/14/2022

Join us, October 27!

Join us to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the end-of-life options movement. This lively virtual benefit event will celebrate the strides we have made and our vision to pave the way for future success.

Join virtually, wherever you are, on Thursday, October 27th!

REGISTER at CandC.org/signature-event/?sourceid=1076158.

04/04/2022

"The COVID-19 pandemic turbocharged the development of lifesaving vaccines at record-breaking speed, but COVID’s relentless death toll has reinforced life’s fragility and the limits of modern medicine to eliminate suffering at life’s end.
At the same time, we are seeing increased support in our nation for advanced care planning and ensuring that every U.S. resident has the full range of end-of-life care options, including the option of medical aid in dying — MAID for short — for terminally ill adults to end unbearable suffering peacefully.
While people who die from COVID-19 die too quickly to complete the multi-step eligibility process for MAID, their agonizing deaths still vividly illustrate that people who die from slower-acting diseases like cancer and ALS should have this peaceful dying option to avoid needless suffering."

Please read C&C President and CEO Kim Callinan's piece in The Well News:

The COVID-19 pandemic turbocharged the development of lifesaving vaccines at record-breaking speed, but COVID’s relentless death toll has reinforced life’s fragility and the limits of modern medicine to eliminate suffering at life’s end. At the same time, we are seeing increased support in our...

03/30/2022

Exciting and encouraging news out of Oregon: Our legal team secured a victory in the state allowing out-of-state terminally ill people to access the OR medical aid-in-dying law.

Oregon will no longer require people to be residents of the state to use its law allowing terminally ill people to receive lethal medication, after a lawsuit challenged the requirement as unconstitutional.

03/23/2022

If you haven't seen Diane Rehm's documentary "When My Time Comes" now is the time if you subscribe to Amazon Prime! https://candc.link/wmtc

03/14/2022

Compassion & Choices' core mission is to empower everyone to chart their own end-of-life journey. But Americans living with disabilities face challenges accessing needed healthcare services which can make conversations about the end of life particularly fraught. Given this reality, it is not uncommon for advocates of medical aid in dying to encounter resistance from some segments of the disability community based on concerns about the potential for abuse.

Please join us for a conversation to help enhance understanding, find common ground and welcome allies in our quest to ensure autonomy during and at the end of life.

RSVP today:

Sign up to attend a Compassion & Choices Event

03/11/2022

This week in legal advocacy, on Wednesday morning the Massachusetts Supreme Court heard arguments in a case Compassion & Choices filed in Massachusetts state court in 2016 on behalf of Dr. Roger Kligler and Dr. Alan Steinbach (Kligler, et al. v. Healey, et al). The case seeks to clarify that medical aid in dying is not criminal in Massachusetts because there is no criminal statute barring the practice. Read more:

The State Supreme Judicial Court heard arguments Wednesday in a case involving profound questions about a person's control over the end of their life and whether a doctor can legally help.

03/09/2022

02/23/2022

February is Black History Month, and Compassion & Choices is honoring the contributions of Black supporters, advocates and organizations who are working to empower Black communities to make informed end-of-life healthcare decisions.

Join us this afternoon for a webinar focused on how dementia is impacting the Black community. We will provide the tools and resources needed to face a dementia diagnosis – now or in the future. Our presenters, who come from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences, will address the unique needs and challenges facing the Black community in dementia care and planning. RSVP here:

Act today to expand choice at the end of life.

02/18/2022

Creating your estate plan is a practical way to express your love this ’s Day. Having a plan in place for the future can help you protect your loved ones, communicate important health decisions, and exercise agency over future financial decisions. Get started with this free estate planning resource in 20 minutes or less:
https://bit.ly/33Mt0WC