The momentum of our legal advocacy continues to grow. With this year’s launch of Compassion Legal — the nation’s first nonprofit law firm for end-of-life rights — we’re breaking new ground in courts across the country. Here are the latest updates. Death Doulas Win in Indiana On August 28, 2025,…

August 7 marked one year since legislation to improve access to Colorado's End-of-Life Options Act was enacted. Signed by Governor Jared Polis last June, SB68 shortened the mandatory minimum waiting period between oral requests for a medical aid-in-dying prescription from 15 days to seven days, allowing a prescribing provider to…

As the government shutdown enters its tenth day, you might be wondering how this is going to impact patient-directed care at the end of life. We’ve got you covered! Here are some answers to people’s most pressing questions about what this means for your end-of-life options.  What is happening with…

Compassion & Choices advocate Roseana Spangler-Sims wanted to have some say in what the end of her life looked like. After enduring more than a year of treatment for stage 4 pancreatic cancer with little to show for it other than the savage side effects, she decided it was time. …

A patient, a physician, and a licensed professional counselor specializing in eating disorders joined Compassion & Choices Action Network  Tuesday in filing a motion to intervene and oppose a lawsuit seeking to invalidate Colorado’s End of Life Options Act. The proposed intervenors are represented  by Compassion Legal: The End-of-Life Justice…

By Kevin Díaz, President & CEO This week I’ve been reflecting on the death of Jeff McComas, a dedicated advocate for medical aid in dying and a plaintiff in Compassion Legal’s challenge to the residency requirement in Colorado’s aid-in-dying law.  Following his diagnosis with terminal intestinal cancer in early 2023,…

Dear Governor Hochul,

Do you have questions about the language behind advance care planning? A critical part of the process  is choosing someone who will represent you in case you can’t represent yourself. But the terms…

YouTube video by Compassion & Choices

The show’s unusually nuanced, realistic depiction of end-of-life decisions has already had a real-world impact.

YouTube video by Compassion & Choices

Compassion & Choices advocates for end-of-life options, including medical aid in dying, for all — regardless of a person’s ZIP code. Today, 11 states (California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawai’i, Maine,…

Roseana Spangler-Sims, 72, had stage 4 pancreatic cancer and ended her life on Aug. 31 through Medical Aid in Dying — with her family by her side. They shared photos and details from her final day.

When someone develops dementia, the changes to memory, judgment, and decision-making can make it harder — or eventually impossible — to communicate their wishes for care. That’s why early…

YouTube video by Compassion & Choices

“They cleaned out his house, they kept everyone from the funeral service, and they buried him, honoring a life that wasn’t true to who he was.” That’s how Osha Towers, LGBTQ+ Outreach Director for Com...

By Kevin Díaz, Compassion & Choices President & CEO For more than 30 years, Compassion & Choices has worked to ensure that people can make informed decisions about the kind of healthcare they want as ...

Living in sunny Naples, Florida, Janina Birtolo had a rewarding life and career as a writer, journalist, and actor. But in her 60s, she was diagnosed with advanced emphysema—a progressive lung conditi...