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Brave Little State explores the complexities of medical aid in dying in Vermont

a framed photo of five people facing forward
Mikaela Lefrak
/
Vermont Public
Host Mikaela Lefrak reports on the process of medical aid in dying through the lens of one family's experience.

Live call-in discussion: When and how you die isn’t usually up to you. But in Vermont, sometimes it can be. It’s legal in the state to get a prescription from a doctor for medication that will hasten your death — if you meet certain requirements.

Since the passage of Act 39 in 2013, terminally ill patients in Vermont have had the option of a process known as medical aid in dying. This hour, we'll listen to a recent episode of Brave Little State that explores one family's experience, and the stories of medical professionals who support patients in their final days.

Later, we'll talk to Dr. Jaina Clough, MD, who specializes in end of life care and the realities of treating terminally ill patients.

Our guest:

  • Dr. Jaina Clough, MD, an internal medicine specialist in Burlington

Broadcast live on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, at noon.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or tweet us @vermontedition.

Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
Andrea Laurion joined Vermont Public as a news producer for Vermont Edition in December 2022. She is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., and a graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine. Before getting into audio, Andrea worked as an obituary writer, a lunch lady, a wedding photographer assistant, a children’s birthday party hostess, a haunted house actor, and an admin assistant many times over.