Gregory Eastwood: Dying Isn't What It Used To Be-Ethical Questions at the End of Life: Tuesday, March 6

University Professor, State University of New York
Former President, SUNY Upstate Medical University

Compared with our grandparents, we live longer, we die for different
reasons, we are less likely to die at home, and our dying costs more.
Further, many of us will die after having received treatments that were
unusual or unheard of two generations ago, such as potent medications to
sustain blood pressure, an endotracheal tube with mechanical respiration,
and kidney dialysis. We will discuss making decisions at the end of life,
who makes decisions when we cannot, and physician-assisted suicide,
including the “Death with Dignity” laws in two states. Finally, we will
look ahead and contemplate how much we can prolong the inevitable, perhaps
reclaiming our youth or extending the potential limit of human life.