Talk on Death-With-Dignity Set

Derek Humphry, the author of the best selling new book “Final Exit,” will speak Sunday on a California death-with-dignity initiative, the Hemlock Society of San Diego announced Tuesday.

Humphry’s book, which has been publicized as a how-to guide to ending one’s life, is ranked second nationwide on the Publishers Weekly best seller list for nonfiction.

Humphry, the founder of the Hemlock Society, will speak on why California needs a death-with-dignity act, said Des Pengelley, the group’s San Diego spokesman.

The Hemlock Society and Americans against Human Suffering, another group with similar goals, will begin an initiative drive in a few weeks to gather signatures to put a death-with-dignity proposition on the ballot next year, Pengelley said.

If approved by voters, the proposition would make it legal for a person who is terminally ill to ask his physician to help him die in a dignified, painless manner, Pengelley said.

The person must be a mentally competent adult and must make the request in writing on more than one occasion, he said. The request can be revoked verbally or in writing at any time.

The law would require two physicians to certify in writing that the patient is terminally ill and not expected to survive more than six months, Pengelley said.

Humphry will speak on the proposed initiative at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Joyce Beers Auditorium, 1230 Cleveland Ave. Admission is free.

The public is also invited to a more technical and legal presentation Humphry is giving to Kaiser Hospital staff at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Doubletree Hotel, 901 Camino del Rio South, Pengelley said. Admission to this talk, which is oriented to doctors, nurses and social workers, is also free.