NPR's Diane Rehm discusses the right-to-die movement with the National Writers Series

It's one of life's most important conversations and one that few people ever have: The discussion about death. Dying. How you want the end to come. Where you want to be, who you want to have there... and if, in the event of a terminal illness, you want the freedom to choose when it happens.

The National Writers Series of Traverse City will delve into the controversial topic of medical aid in dying when NPR's Diane Rehm joins the NWS for a virtual event on February 25 at 7 p.m. ET.

Medical aid in dying became a personal cause following Rehm's late husband's battle with Parkinson's Disease. Her book, When My Time Comes (newly released in paperback), is an extension of her upcoming PBS documentary about the issue and delves into conversations with doctors, lawmakers, spiritual leaders, and terminally ill patients about how and when the medical community can assist people's deaths.

Rehm also lets us in on the hardest conversation of all: one with her own family about how she wants to leave this earth.

Is it suicide, or is it the easing of suffering? Is it a sin, or is it a final act of control over a body that is failing and in pain? Rehm has clearly outlined her own position on the matter, but ever the journalist, she gives voice to a broad range of people who are personally linked to the realities of medical aid in dying, including those in opposition to it.

Prior to being an author and documentarian, Diane Rehm hosted The Diane Rehm Show, distributed by NPR, from 1979 to 2016, which had a weekly listening audience of 2.5 million. She now hosts a weekly podcast for NPR, On My Mind. In 2014, President Barack Obama presented Rehm with the National Humanities Medal.

Cynthia Canty—award-winning reporter and former host of Stateside on Michigan Radio—will serve as guest host for the event on February 25, bringing her decades of interviewing experience and insight to the conversation.

Registration is open at www.nationalwritersseries.org, and this online event is free (though a $10 donation is encouraged). Guests are also invited to purchase a copy of the book from Traverse City's Horizon Books, and a special Morsels bundle will be available for local pickup. The virtual event takes place over Zoom at 7 p.m. ET on February 25, and attendees will be sent a link at registration.