Dying on Our Terms: Medical Aid in Dying, Palliative Care, and the Right to Choose

The Durham Main Library and Endswell Funeral Home present Dying on our Terms: Medical Aid in Dying, Palliative Care, and the Right to Choose. This panel discussion will explore the complex and often deeply personal questions surrounding Medical Aid in Dying (MAID), palliative care, and the broader conversation about individual autonomy at the end of life. The discussion will be moderated by Steven Petrow, an award-winning journalist and author who is writing a memoir about his sister's death by Medical Aid in Dying (MAID). Our Speakers Jay Niver, of the Final Exit Network, advocates for the right to die and self-determination in end-of-life decisions. Ed Tiryakian, J.D., of Dying Right NC, works to advance legislation that would allow Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) in North Carolina. Dr. David Fisher, Palliative Care Medical Director at Duke HomeCare and Hospice, offers insight into the role of palliative care in relieving suffering and supporting quality of life at life's end. Dr. Ben Frush is a hospital medicine and palliative care physician who serves as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine and as core faculty at the Trent Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the Duke University School of Medicine. His scholarship focuses on the ethics of medical training and end-of-life care.

Last updated November 6, 2026