Death Doulas arrange and participate in assisted suicide deaths

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

An article written by Alexa Lardieri, the US Deputy Health Critic for the Daily Mail was published on June 1 concerning the role of death doula's in assisted suicide.

Lardieri explains that death doulas are not new but the expansion of death doulas is not just related to the needs of many lonely Americans, but it is also related to the role of death doulas with assisting suicides.

Assisted suicide is currently legal in 10 US States and DC. Death Doulas are charging significant fee's to assist people in their suicides. Lardieri reports:

Death Doulas, who can charge up to $3,000 for their services, say they are increasingly in demand amid the growing number of medical aid in dying (MAiD) policies that allow terminally ill people to choose when to end their lives.

The role of the Death Doula will vary, but some offer different payment packages:

Some doulas charge even more for 'a la carte' services, including throwing a goodbye celebration, having day-after-death support ($225), assisting with MAiD ($1,600) and even planning a funeral ($225).

Death doulas speaking to DailyMail.com have said some patients simply want company during their darkest hours.

Some death doulas mainly provide care for lonely people as they approach death. Lardieri reports:

Washington DC-based death doula Laura Lyster-Mensh told DailyMail.com a lot of her services take place in a hospice, where she spends time with people who have no family in their last days, holding their hands as they die: ' I do a lot of literal hand holding.'

She said: ‘I think that service really calls to me because I don’t think anyone should die alone. It is important to give dignity and humanity to people who are ending their lives without loved ones around them.'

While it is not clear how many Americans die alone in hospice care, there is a loneliness epidemic among the elderly in the US, with more than one-quarter of people older than 60 living by themselves.

Laudieri explains that death doulas are often needed to fill the gap of hospice care. Some people are unable to obtain hospice care while other times, the hospice provider is so busy that the client hires the death doula to be with them as they die.
They are a part of the growth in the number of assisted suicide's in America.

Douglas Simpson, the Executive Director of the International End-of-Life Doula Association told Laudieri that death doulas will play ‘a supportive role' in the MAiD process.

He said: ‘I can see us as doulas holding space and sitting with the circle of care of the dying person and supporting the autonomy of the dying person. If your uncle or father has chosen [MAiD], how do we honor their choice?’

Mr Simpson stressed they will not step in and replace the role of a trained medical professional.

He added: ‘If our focus is the autonomy of the dying. We need to be aware of what choices are out there and then honor the decisions [people] make based on their options and their dying plan.’

Death doulas are also involved with organizing an assisted suicide death

Support could even mean helping the dying person research MAiD or connecting them to the proper organizations or providers.

Death doula Kacie Gikonyo, who is a registered nurse based in Ohio and founder of the Death Doula School told DailyMail.com that death doulas who support MAiD can also work with lawmakers and politicians in their areas to, ‘assure that everyone has the right to choose MAiD if it feels right for them.’

Some death doulas are involved with ensuring that a person doesn't die alone, while others are arranging and participating in assisted suicide deaths, and even lobbying politicians to legalize assisted suicide, where it is not legal.