Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED)
Medical Aid in Dying for the terminally ill is not an option in Ohio yet, so Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED) is one way terminally ill people can have some control over hastening their death. Though a terminal diagnosis is not needed to attempt VSED, enrolling in hospice care is highly recommended.
The organization VSED Resources Northwest, VSEDresources.com, has excellent guidance for patients, loved ones and clinicians.
The Journal of Pain and Symptom Management published comprehensive Clinical Guidelines for Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED) in November 2023.
This 2021 book is written by the experts on the subject:
Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking, A Compassionate, Widely-Available and Option for Hastening Death
Edited by Timothy E. Quill, Paul T. Menzel, Thaddeus Pope, and Judith K. Schwarz
This 2022 book is written for people considering VSED and their support system:
The VSED Handbook
By Kate Christie
Death with Dignity National Center: Learn more about VSED and the steps that people must take before attempting to hastening death by voluntarily stopping eating and drinking.