PCV Founders - Dick and Ginny Walters
Dick & Ginny Walters, 1948
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Let’s Make Some Trouble – The Story of How Patient Choices Vermont Was Started
By Betsy Walkerman, President of Patient Choices Vermont (PCV) “Let’s make some trouble.” Those were my Dad’s words in 2002 when he came to hang out with me in Underhill, Vermont one afternoon in 2002. I was intrigued to find out what kind of trouble he meant this time. After all, when I was a kid, he was fond of breaking the rules. We played hooky and he took me skiing on powder days. Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he’d tell me to duck under a “trail closed” rope to ski the powder on closed trails. This time, his trouble was serious business. Since Dad was scheduled to have his knee replaced that winter, he suggested that we work together to get a law passed like the Oregon Death with Dignity law. My folks, avid skiers since the 1940’s, would typically go out west, but not that year. So, that became the catalyst for this project. Dad had in mind that the legislative effort would only take a year and that the following year he and Mom would go ski out west. Having worked on other policy and non-profit projects, I suggested to him that it might be a long haul. With infectious optimism, he asked, “Who could possibly be against it?” To which I responded, “We’re going to find out.” |
Dick and Ginny were both 77 when they launched PCV. They had no experience with crafting public policy or legislative matters, much less fundraising or lobbying. My mother is a physicist, so she readily took to creating and managing a supporter database and the budgeting. My father had a career in retail and had an eye for what would attract people to the cause. He also had a strong aptitude for team-building. Together Dick and Ginny wrote cogent brochures, letters, briefing books for legislators, and engaged multitudes of people in speaking, testifying, writing op-ed pieces, being in videos, etc. Their experience being with friends and relatives during difficult dying processes fueled their commitment.
My sister, Nancy Hawley, put up the first website, and she taught my mother how to update it. At first, Dad said that he didn’t want to ask anyone for money. But then, he embraced the process of advocating, informing people what the campaign would cost, and gracefully asking for their support. |
Photo Published in USA Today 2010
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Along the way, key supporters, including doctors, lawyers, and people with aid-in-dying experience, signed on to the cause, lent their voices, made generous contributions, and created a great team with Dick and Ginny leading the way.
Eleven years later...
In 2013, Vermont’s Act 39 finally passed and was signed by the Governor as a result of everyone’s arduous work. With thousands of supporters, Vermont became the fourth state to legalize medical aid in dying for people with a terminal illness and the first state to do so by legislative action rather than by referendum.
My Dad died in 2015, and was deeply grateful to be able to use medical aid in dying. He lived vibrantly right up until he died, and he told me that he had some of the most meaningful conversations of his life in those last few days.
The Work Continues...
Not only did it take 11 years to achieve passage of Act 39, the work continues. Since 2013, PCV has defended against legal and legislative challenges and worked across the state to educate medical personnel and community members. While our effort is not as intense as it was during the legislative campaign, we now need to make sure that Vermont healthcare practitioners and their patients understand the law and their options in having access to end-of-life assistance. Your support for PCV remains vital. Please click here to donate.
Eleven years later...
In 2013, Vermont’s Act 39 finally passed and was signed by the Governor as a result of everyone’s arduous work. With thousands of supporters, Vermont became the fourth state to legalize medical aid in dying for people with a terminal illness and the first state to do so by legislative action rather than by referendum.
My Dad died in 2015, and was deeply grateful to be able to use medical aid in dying. He lived vibrantly right up until he died, and he told me that he had some of the most meaningful conversations of his life in those last few days.
The Work Continues...
Not only did it take 11 years to achieve passage of Act 39, the work continues. Since 2013, PCV has defended against legal and legislative challenges and worked across the state to educate medical personnel and community members. While our effort is not as intense as it was during the legislative campaign, we now need to make sure that Vermont healthcare practitioners and their patients understand the law and their options in having access to end-of-life assistance. Your support for PCV remains vital. Please click here to donate.