At the Board of Directors and Voting Members plenary session of the biennial conference of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies on September 19, 2024 in Dublin, DRNC Executive Director Ed Tiryakian forwarded an idea from DRNC Volunteer Jonah Schwartz asking whether the Right to Die movement has reached a stage where a universal symbol or flag was justified, needed and useful. The idea is that the movement, in all its national, regional and ideological permutations, shares a common belief that every individual owns his death and has the right to write their end of life narrative, whether it be through Assisted Dying, VSED, euthanasia or discontinuation of life supporting medications or machinery. Such a flag or symbol could be incorporated on business cards, letterheads, flyers, pamphlets, etc, and the flag flown at events such as conferences and symposia.
It was recognised that it will take a village to devise a flag or symbol which does not offend but rather unifies the disparate elements of the movement. It might, then, require finding the least common denominator to which all can agree.
The Board approved the initiative and designated DRNC Executive Director to proceed by forming a committee with international represenatives with the prospect of presenting before the WFRDS biennial meeting in Tokyo in November 2026 a palette of proposals to allow the plenary session decide if any are acceptable.
TO THAT END, this is an appeal to all supporters and friends of Dying RIght NC to join the committee and help develope an appropriate flag and symbol It is thus all hands on deck.
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