"Medical Assistance in Dying," TODAY at 3:30pm

[Daniel Lake]

 *The Institute for Ethics in Public Life invites you to join us for
"Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)" on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 3:30pm with
special guests Dr. Andrew Buckser, Professor of Anthropology, and Dr.
Stephen Light, Professor of Sociology.*

MAiD has come a long way since Dr. Jack Kevorkian was convicted of murder
(in 1999) for his role in the voluntary euthanasia of a young man with ALS.
Over the last 25 years the legality of MAiD has expanded from one state
(Oregon) to 11 plus DC, and the number of other countries allowing some
form of assisted suicide has expanded from two to 13 (Uruguay just
legalized it in Oct. 2025).

Even as legal MAiD continues to spread, the debates over whether it is
ethical and whether it should be legal continue. To some
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://deathwithdignity.org/&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1762351403362957&usg=AOvVaw1o4mQJFAwSlS8KgZvhwCGf>it
is an individual liberty issue, and important because it offers the
potential for "death with dignity." Others
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://aul.org/&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1762351403362957&usg=AOvVaw3GtyE6WsrVONuKKCamSJUx>frame
it in terms of euthanasia and see it as a sin akin to abortion. A
complicating factor is that strict restrictions on when it is allowed are
relaxed over time, such that it becomes much more common than expected amid
concerns about its abuse (Canada is a good example of this pattern
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/09/canada-euthanasia-demand-maid-policy/683562/&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1762351403362957&usg=AOvVaw3MDxwtEJ0QAKmoeOfkPeE1>
).

What is it about this issue that makes the debate so persistent? And what
can we learn from the states and countries that have legalized MAiD about
what it means in practice? Please join us to discuss these questions and
others related to MAiD.

Dr. Andrew Buckser, Professor of Anthropology, is a cultural anthropologist
who specializes in the anthropology of religion and medical anthropology.

Dr. Stephen Light, Professor of Sociology, teaches courses on the sociology
of aging and death, social movements, and social justice.

Please join us in-person in the Thomas Moran Seminar Room (Hawkins 233) or
on Zoom (see below).

Topic: "Medical Assistance in Dying"
Time: Nov 5, 2025 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://plattsburgh.zoom.us/j/89189585907
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://plattsburgh.zoom.us/j/89189585907&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1762351403362957&usg=AOvVaw1fzvU3rZvuuM4TiOABuQyr>

Meeting ID: 891 8958 5907


-- 

*Daniel Lake*

(pronouns: he/him/his)

Professor of Political Science

Director, Institute for Ethics in Public Life

Hawkins 149A

101 Broad Street
<https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g>

Plattsburgh, NY 12901
<https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g>

(o) 518-564-5833 <(518)%5645833>

*plattsburgh.edu <http://plattsburgh.edu/>*
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