On Sunday, May 21, from 3 to 5 pm, there will be a Death Cafe at the West Tisbury library. According to a press release, it will be hosted by Cape Cod Death Cafe co-founder Heather Massey as part of the library’s “Explorations in Healthy Living” program series.
The gathering will provide a comfortable atmosphere in which to share a respectful, thought-provoking, and life-affirming conversation on the topics of death, dying, and bereavement.
Death Cafe is an international movement started in Europe to encourage people to talk about the taboo subject of death. The concept originated with Swiss sociologist Bernard Crettaz, who held Cafe Mortel events in Switzerland, and later in France, beginning in 2004. At these events, people came together in a relaxed, confidential, and safe setting to discuss death. The idea was taken to the U.K. by John Underwood, and has since expanded into the U.S. and other countries around the world. The objective is to increase awareness with a view to lessening the fear of death while enhancing life. A Death Cafe is a group-directed discussion of death with no agenda, objectives, or themes, nor any affiliated religious organization. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counseling session. For more information, visit deathcafe.com.
Following the Death Cafe, special guest speaker Roger Kligler, M.D., will give a talk about the right to medical aid in dying. Dr. Kliger is a retired Falmouth physician who filed suit against the state of Massachusetts stating that there is no law in Massachusetts specifically barring physicians from providing medical aid in dying, and that physicians have the right to provide lethal medication to terminally ill patients. He will discuss the lawsuit, his evolving perspective on dying, his quest to give patients with terminal diagnoses more options to end their suffering, and his own personal journey as a doctor whose cancer diagnosis put him on the other side of the examining table.
This programming is made possible by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners LSTA Grant, the West Tisbury Library Foundation, and the Friends of the West Tisbury Library. Refreshments will be served. This gathering is free and open to all.
For more information: 508-693-3366 or olarsen@clamsnet.org.
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