The Counselors: Should Medical Assistance in Dying Be Legal in the United States?

Join us for this spring’s edition of The Counselors: “Resolved: Medical Assistance in Dying Should be Legal in the United States.” The program, a cross between a mock trial and a debate, features attorneys Ed Duckers and Pedro Irigonegaray alongside members of the Dole Institute Student Advisory Board and students from the Washburn University School of Law who’ve conducted research over the past months, and will cross-examine expert witnesses.

This program will be moderated by Nathan Binshtok, SAB member and Pizza and Politics Coordinator, majoring in Economics and Political Science, on a pre-law track.

This program is presented in partnership with the Washburn University School of Law

Affirming Side

Pedro Irigonegaray is an attorney and partner at Irigonegaray, Turney, & Revenaugh. A trial lawyer since 1973, Pedro is a former President of The Kansas Trial Lawyers Association, a Fellow in The American College of Trial Lawyers and a Fellow in The International Academy of Trial Lawyers.

Jaspreet Chowdhary has dedicated her career to helping transform systems to be more equitable and empower people to make decisions about their own lives. Currently, Jaspreet is the Senior Legislative Counsel at Compassion and Choices where she helps draft, authorize, and implement medical aid in dying policies across the country. In her current role, she prepares external policy documents for legislators and partner organizations, creates and deepens relationships with stakeholders. She also assists with end-of-life care and access efforts across the country.

Diana Barnard is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Vermont Medical Center. She is also board certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Dr. Barnard is a founding board member of Patient Choices Vermont which led the grassroots effort to pass Vermont’s Medical Aid in Dying Law. Since passage of the law in 2013, Dr. Barnard has worked across the country on both educational and legislative efforts related to Medical Aid in Dying. She believes that everyone deserves the best possible genuinely patient centered end of life care.

Janira Silva, 2L at Washburn University School of Law

Cas Casmus, KU senior and SAB member majoring in Philosophy

Ava Levin, KU freshman and SAB member majoring in Political Science and Spanish

Negating Side

Ed Duckers is partner at Stoel Rives LLP and the head of the firm’s Litigation Practice in California and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He is a past chair of Stoel Rives’ Food and Agribusiness Industry Team.

Jason Raibley is a philosophy professor at the University of Kansas known for his work in medical ethics (quality of life measurement), political philosophy, moral psychology, and value theory. He is an Associate Editor at the Journal of Ethics and does referee work for various leading ethics and philosophy journals.

Michaela Prezzia worked as Coalitions Coordinator for the Patients Rights Action Fund, a single-issue organization committed to fighting assisted suicide. She helped states form diverse coalitions committed to prevent legalization of the practice as one that threatens harm, abuse, and coercion to vulnerable populations. She helped develop and coordinate state trainings (including training materials), end-of-life directives, strategic coalition meetings, press releases, and responses to bills at various stages of ratification across the United States. She has since turned to teaching.

Ryan Petersen, 3L at Washburn University School of Law

Jaspreet Kaur, KU sophomore and SAB member majoring in communications

Harini Sreekanth, KU junior and SAB member majoring in Political Science and Philosophy