Learning & Discussion: “Death with Dignity & Advanced Directives”

Death With Dignity (now properly termed Medical Aid in Dying) allows a terminally ill, mentally capable adult to request from their physician a prescription that they can ingest to end their intolerable suffering. Oregon was the first state to legalize this process. Dr. Grube will review the components of the Law, the process, and also discuss other issues such as barriers to access, medical ethics, and some current pending legislation in other states. Dr. Grube will also review the importance of Advanced Directives and when to have a POLST form in place.

Dr. David Grube graduated cum laude from Lewis and Clark College and received his MD from the University of Oregon Medical School (now OHSU). He founded Philomath Family Medicine in 1977 and practiced there for 35 years before retiring in 2012. He has served on the Board of Directors and the Ethics Committee of Lumina Hospice (formerly Benton Hospice Service). He was the National Medical Director for Compassion and Choices from 2015-2021, and has lectured on end of life issues, including medical aid in dying, to numerous medical schools and organizations around the US. He and his wife Lynn (RN) sing in a local Threshold Choir, and he volunteers as a driver for Dial-A-Bus.