Right to Die in California: ‘End of Life Issues’ series Saturday

New technology extends life, but it also can make suffering a terminal illness unbearable. California’s new “right-to-die law” gives people in this situation greater autonomy to end their suffering — but it creates new potential for conflict, too.

Medical and legal issues surrounding California’s End of Life Option Law will be discussed during a free seminar at 9 a.m. this Saturday, Oct. 28, at Peace Lutheran Church, 828 W. Main St., near downtown Grass Valley.

Speakers include:

Dr. James McGregor, a specialist in hospice and palliative medicine in the Auburn area. He’s affiliated with Sutter Health and the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California.

Dylan Ann Hendricks, a partner with Hendricks McFarlane in Grass Valley. The firm specializes in elder law, trusts and wills.

California’s law went into effect in June 2016. It carves out a new legal niche by allowing terminally ill people to obtain a death-dealing drug that they can give to themselves. The speakers will discuss the law, then take questions from the audience.

On Nov. 4, small groups discuss issues regarding end-of-life and death.

On both days, the program starts at 9 a.m. with coffee and light snacks in the Old Fellowship Hall at Peace, 828 W. Main St., near downtown Grass Valley. Speakers start at 9:15 a.m., and the program ends at 10:45 a.m. The series is hosted by Peace’s Contemporary Issues Study Group.

For more information, visit http://www.PeaceLutheranGV.org or call 530-273-9631.