AZELO Newsletter, August 1, 2022

August 1, 2022

This Issue's Contents

Legislative Update
Voter's Guide for Tuesday, August 2nd, Election Day
Action Team Alert for August!
Messaging Webinar a Success
AZELO Volunteers Publish Letters to the Editor
What am I Doing Now, What More Can I Do?
New Source for filing your Advance Directives and Living Wills
Upcoming Events
Donate for Dignity & Your Gift will be Matched!

Legislative Update
by Leesa Stevens, Legislative Advocacy Leader

With the Arizona Election Primary set for tomorrow, August 2nd, the first phase of our candidate campaign has drawn to a close. The legislative task force reached out to about 200 candidates and had 31 responses. We asked our question of the Clean Election Debate candidates in addition to in-person and email correspondence about supporting medical aid in dying.

Thanks so much to my great task force volunteers: Cayman Martin, Lynn Lane, Tim Sommerville, Jan Campos, Bob O'Leary, and Dwight Moore.

Next, we will be following up with all primary winning candidates whose positions are currently unknown or need some follow-up conversation or information. Starting in September, our action team members will also be asked to get involved by focusing on candidates who may be key to turning the legislature positively in our direction.

We printed some responses from candidates in last month's newsletter. Here are several more that have come in this past month:

Thanks for the question. It is a tough one because it sets at odds our human desire for mercy with our knowledge that the taking of innocent life is of the gravest sins, and that the taking of one's own life is equally grave. As a nurse, I've seen the suffering that you are referring to and there are pain meds that can relieve the suffering, although they do generally leave the patient in a diminished state of awareness. Difficult questions usually require difficult answers, but my oath as a nurse and my beliefs as a Christian would both have me do what I can to ease the suffering without stepping into the role of God to decide how and when a person should die.

Janae Shamp, BSN, RN LD 29

Thank you for your follow-up. Upon closer inspection and learning, I support End of Life. With the right experts and advice, I believe that we can do this ethically and morally. Thank you for educating me.

Hector Jaramillo LD 24

I personally don't condone suicide, but my personal view is not the issue. The 9th Amendment states all rights not enumerated are left to the people. It's for the people to decide if it's the right decision, the government has no business in this.

John Gillette LD30

Thank you for reaching out. I do support end of life for the terminally ill.

Marianne Salem LD 30

Thank you for contacting me. I read your letter but you should know that I have serious moral issues with legalizing euthanasia.

Rep. John Kavanagh LD 3

I continue to strongly support this issue.

Rep. Richard Andrade LD 22

As long I am in an elected position, I will never vote for MAID.

Rep. Joanne Osborne LD 29

Voter's Guide for Tuesday, August 2nd, Election Day

Have you voted yet? If not, don't forget to vote by Tuesday in the primary. Click this link for a peek at some of the candidates that are running and what our research has shown about their support or opposition to MAID:

https://azendoflifeoptions.org/files/primary-candidate-positions-on-MAID-2022.pdf

Action Team Alert for August, 2022
Arizona End of Life Options

Indoors or out, the overall objective of an AZELO tabling event is to engage new people who are interested in death with dignity, personally connect with them, and make certain they have a way to reach us once they leave your table.

The movement for end-of-life options is a popular one, with three out of four people in support, and connecting face-to-face is still the most powerful and effective means for grassroots organizing. Event tabling can be a fun, as well as a socially engaging way to raise awareness, increase grassroots support, add to our mailing list, and meet like-minded others.

Are you interested in planning or participating in a tabling event for AZELO but don't know how to get started? On Thursday, August 11 at 2:00 Mary Ganapol and Kem Ellis will co-host an AZELO Tabling webinar. We'll share tips for how to plan a successful tabling event, review what you'll need and what AZELO will provide, and discuss some tabling do's and don'ts. Here's your link to register for this informative webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lcu2orD4uHtytYil8chSmVtrbKEZ1lTWV

Our national partner Death With Dignity has a very informative and easy-to-follow tabling guide on their website. You'll find it here:

https://deathwithdignity.org/resources/how-to-table-event/

There will be many opportunities to table at community events this fall including:

Healthcare Decision Day and other healthcare events
Senior citizen events
Fairs, festivals, parades
Farmer’s markets and other outdoor venues that allow booth set-up

Join us on Thursday, August 11 at 2:00. Mary and Kem will help you get ready to table for AZELO!

Mary Ganapol, Southern Arizona Lead, and Jessie Henson, Action Team Member tabling at an event in LD 1

Messaging Webinar a Success
by Dwight Moore, Chair

Last month's action alert included attending the Messaging Webinar where action team members met to discuss communication techniques when talking about MAID with the Arizona public. AZELO hosts Dwight Moore and Mark Savan presented a PowerPoint slideshow and included the attendees in the discussion.

Now as a recording, this 44-minute video shares useful information about having positive conversations about medical aid in dying (MAID), and also clears up some misconceptions you may have about how people truly feel about MAID, and why.

You can access the recording here:
https://youtu.be/4-1l0yBk2TU

AZELO Volunteers Publish Letters to the Editor

Again, kudos to AZELO volunteers who responded to May's action alert to send letters to their local newspaper. Editors typically receive many more letters than they can possibly publish, so getting one into the paper is quite an accomplishment. But here's yet another of our volunteers who managed to get their letter published. Again, if you were successful at getting your letter into a newspaper, please let us know!

Arizona Daily Star

July 1, 2022

I agree with Lauri Ziemba’s “Die with Dignity” letter of June 24th. New Mexico just passed the one-year anniversary of their End of Life Options Act which made medical aid in dying (MAID) legal in New Mexico in June 2021. One in five Americans have this choice but not those residing in Arizona.

An AARP/National Geographic “Second Half of Life” Report in June 2022 queried 2,536 respondents nationwide about this end of life option. A whopping 65% agreed MAID should be a legal option. An Arizona poll in January 2022 by OH Predictive Insights of 855 registered voters had a similar majority: 60% favored a MAID law.

As the Southern AZ Lead, I encourage you to join AzEndOfLifeOptions.org in our efforts to pass a law similar to New Mexico and nine other states. Let’s make MAID a reality in Arizona in 2023.

Mary Ganapol

Foothills

What am I Doing Now, What More Can I Do?
by Kem Ellis, Volunteer Coordinator

Having your voice heard by the Arizona legislature is essential to getting

our MAID bill passed and we have set up Action Teams in each legislative district for that very reason.

If each and every one of us joins our Action Team, together we will have a very powerful voice indeed! At a minimum, your total commitment could be about 15 minutes a month, but for those who have more time to spend, there are activities for you as well. You will be sent specific directions for each month’s actions. A team leader will be available for help or support.

If you reside in Arizona and are passionate about passing our own medical aid-in-dying bill, sign up to join your legislative district Action Team:
azendoflifeoptions.org/action-team/

New Source for filing your Advance Directives and Living Wills
The Secretary of State’s office has moved the registry of Advance Directives and Living Wills to the Arizona Health Current at the Health Care Delivery Registry, https:///azhdr.org/ 602 688-7200. This agency will help you move your documents from the State Department if you have already filed them there or set up a new account. They have useful toolkits to use if you are filling out an Advanced Directive/Living Will, and you no longer have to submit your advance directives by mail but can do so via email / uploading.

Arizona Healthcare Registry ACT NOW

Upcoming Events
Two Dates in August!

Dying in America: Care Options Near the End of Life

Presented by Dr Tom Fitch, this zoom presentation describes the six choices people have about how they will exit this life and makes a case for considering Medical Aid in Dying as one of the choices. Register by clicking this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUvdeyprD0iE9Ca8wYHYzgd4xBxhonA6_b3

Six Choices at the End of Life: Real Patients, Real Stories

Presented by Dr Dwight Moore, this zoom presentation describes the six choices people have about how they will exit this life and makes a case for considering Medical Aid in Dying as one of the choices. Register by clicking this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvfu2gqzktGNM2CkRRHVgBQ4T2oCtFtRhQ

Your zoom link will be emailed to you, so check your spam folder if you don't see it!

Let's Talk About Death with Dwight Moore

AZELO's newest webinar!

Are you yourself dying of a terminal illness or have a friend or family

member dying now?

Or have questions about the dying process and are wondering if you have all the necessary preparations in place in advance of your final chapter of life?

Whatever your circumstance, if the topic of death has been on your mind, then this webinar is for you.

While we will be holding this Webinar on ZOOM, it will not be recorded. Not meant to be a “therapy” session but rather an opportunity for regular people to learn and share about this difficult topic.

August 19th, 2022 from 1:00 - 2:00 pm

Click here to register:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAlcOGhrjMvH9EsTZAHtxGaYsfaa-x1B7Ak

Your zoom link will be emailed to you, so check your spam folder if you don't see it!

Attention: Southern Arizona Volunteers!

Save the Date: Sunday October 2^nd 2:00-4:00 pm, suggested $5 donation, free for students

Location: The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway @ Cou

ntry Club, Tucson

AZELO will be hosting a showing of the documentary “Jack Has A Plan” followed by Q&A with the filmmaker. Tabling opportunities and sponsoring opportunities are available. To view the trailer and more info about the film visit https://jackdocumentary.com/

What can you do to help?

Mark your calendar and plan on coming with a couple of friends.
Contact Mary Ganapol @ 520-907-5207 for a flyer and more information.
Email JackHasAPlan@AzEndOfLifeOptions.org with publicity and marketing suggestions.

Help AZELO make this a successful community event!

October Pride Tabling

On October 15 and 16 we will be staffing a table with Compassion&Choices at Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix. The march will begin on the second day at 10 am at 3rd St & Thomas and will end at 3rd St & Indian School. We are asking for volunteers to hand out materials, answer questions, and participate in the celebration. If you are interested, drop a note to Angela Shultz at aschultz@compassionandchoices.org

Donate for Dignity and Your Gift will be Matched!

Click on this blue box to be taken to our donation form. If you have used this online form in the past, you may need to clear your cache/browser history if you get an error message. Then try again.

However, if you'd rather mail in a check, please send it to:

Death with Dignity Political Fund
Attn: AZ C4
520 SW 6th Avenue #1220
Portland, OR 97204

Thank you, Dear Donors!
Your generous gifts are being put to good use!

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Arizona End-of-Life Options
https://azendoflifeoptions.org