FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Topic: End of Life Decisions March, 2013 Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University Media Contact: Mary Curtin, 617-241-9664, 617-470-5867 (cell), [email protected] Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University contact information: Jennifer Bonardi, 617-557-2007, [email protected] Suffolk University Media Contact: Mariellen Norris, (617) 573-8450, [email protected]

FORD HALL FORUM AT SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY presents

WHOSE CHOICE IS DEATH? w/ Guy Maytal, M.D. and Marcia Angell, M.D.

moderator Jack Wrobel

Thursday, April 18, 6:30-8 pm

(, MA 02108) Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University presents Whose Choice Is Death with Guy Maytal and Marcia Angell ; moderated by Jack Wrobel . Thursday, April 18, 6:30-8:00 pm. Admission is free and open to all. Suffolk University Law School, Main Function Room, 120 Tremont St., Boston. Wheelchair accessible and conveniently located near the Park St. MBTA Station. For more information, contact Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University: 617-557-2007, www.fordhallforum.org .

With the vote on the physician-assisted suicide initiative coming down to a slim margin this past November, voters of Massachusetts appear torn. Is this dignity or playing God? Mercy or giving up too soon?

Does it give people who are suffering a way to control their own destinies, or people with hidden agendas a way to do away with the vulnerable? And how soon will this issue arise again in our state?

Jack Wrobel , Ford Hall Forum Vice President, moderates a debate that elucidates the issue from each side. Marcia Angell, M.D. (supporter for “Prescribing Medication to End Life” initiative) and Guy Maytal, M.D. (opponent to “Prescribing Medication to End Life” initiative) discuss facts, feelings, and unintended effects while the audience decides for themselves whether physician-assisted suicide should ever be Massachusetts law.

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Further background information on the participants:

Marcia Angell, M. D. , is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She stepped down as Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine on June 30, 2000. A graduate of Boston University School of Medicine, she trained in both internal medicine and anatomic pathology and is a board- certified pathologist. She joined the editorial staff of the New England Journal of Medicine in 1979, became Executive Editor in 1988, and Editor-in-Chief in 1999. Angell is a member of the Association of American Physicians, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of the Sciences, the Alpha Omega Alpha National Honor Medical Society, and is a Master of the American College of Physicians and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Guy Maytal, M.D. is an attending psychiatrist and director of the Psychiatry Urgent Care Clinic at the Massachusetts General Hospital as well as Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He received his M.D. at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed his internship, residency and fellowship at MGH. Maytal also completed a fellowship in Psycho-oncology and Psychosomatic Medicine at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. He has been an active member of the MGH Optimum Care Committee since 2008 and cares for patients with cancer and life-threatening illnesses. His interest is in investigating the tension between medical paternalism and patient autonomy as well as ethical issues surrounding resource allocation.

Jack Wrobel is a retired Air Force officer and a retired Vice President at the consulting firm Shipley Associates. He holds a B.S. in Physics and an M.S. in Space Physics. Wrobel has served as a Selectman in Westford for nine years and is a is trustee of the J. V. Fletcher Library. He currently is a pro-bono Consultant for nonprofits. An advocate of “life long learning,” Jack has been member of the Ford Hall Forum since 1991 and now serves as a Vice President of the Forum.

Coming up next in Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University’s Spring Series:

Barney Frank 2013 Louis P. and Evelyn Smith First Amendment Award Honoring ; discussion moderated by Peter Meade (Director, Boston Redevelopment Authority). Fri., April 26, 6:30 - 8:00 pm [take note of date change] C. Walsh Theatre, Suffolk University

Former Congressman Barney Frank is a Ford Hall Forum favorite, having graced its stage seven times since 1979. Last year, he completed his illustrious 32-year tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives, throughout which he was boldly outspoken at every opportunity. Frank consistently chose to be the voice of those who often have no voice: Combat Zone sex workers, the elderly, Japanese-Americans in WWII, and even animals. One of the most powerful statements he made on his defense of civil liberties was his opposition to “Respect for America’s Fallen Heroes,” proving that his support for the First Amendment supersedes any personal agenda. In light of how he has conducted such a vital, brave career, Ford Hall Forum presents Barney Frank with its 2013 First Amendment Award to commend his commitment to civic engagement, democracy, and expression.

For the past 32 years, the Ford Hall Forum's Louis P. and Evelyn Smith First Amendment Award has honored individuals or organizations that demonstrate extraordinary commitment to promoting and facilitating the thoughtful exercise of our right to freedom of expression. The first award recipient was Norman Lear back in 1981, and since then, the Forum has recognized such luminaries as , Peter Seeger, , Gwen Ifill, to name just a few.

About Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University :

Ford Hall Forum is the nation's oldest free public lecture series. The Forum provides an open venue for sharing opinions and discussing controversial points of view. It advances the First Amendment through freedom of expression, encouraging attendees to engage directly with speakers. Ford Hall Forum discussions illuminate the key issues facing our society by bringing to its podium knowledgeable and thought-provoking orators from a broad range of perspectives. These experts participate for free, and in settings that promote a culture of involvement in a non-partisan environment. Page 2 of 3 Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University – Whose Choice Is Death?, Spring 2013

The Forum began in 1908 as a series of Sunday evening public meetings held at the Ford Hall, which once stood on Beacon Hill in Boston. While the original building no longer exists, the public conversations have continued throughout the Boston area with the generous support from state agencies, foundations, corporations, academic institutions, and individuals. In its 104th year of programming, the Forum continues to build upon its partnership with Suffolk University. Suffolk is now housing the Forum's administrative offices just a block away from where the original Ford Hall once stood.

Ford Hall Forum programs are made possible through the generous contributions from individual members as well as corporations and foundations, including American International Group (AIG), AMES Hotel, Broadway Video, Compass Eight, The Fred & Marty Corneel Fund, Gray Media, Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council, Helen Rees Literary Agency, Iron Mountain, Jackson & Company, LCMG Certified Public Accountants, The Lowell Institute, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Penny Pimentel, The Pfizer Foundation, Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation, Prince Lobel & Tye, Saturday Night Live, Suffolk University, True North, and WBUR 90.9 FM.

For more information on Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University, visit www.fordhallforum.org . Information about Suffolk University’s partnership with the Ford Hall Forum can be obtained by contacting Mariellen Norris, (617) 573- 8450, [email protected] .

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