It's been seven years since the feeding tube keeping Terri Schiavo alive was pulled after a bitter battle that reached all the way to Congress and the White House. But the issues over end-of-life care have since faded from the public eye.
A conference being held today at Stetson College of Law in Tampa aims to keep the debate alive. One of the speakers is Janice Van Dyck. She lives in the Tampa Bay area and is the author of the novel "Finding Frances." Click on the "Listen" icon above to hear her conversation with WUSF's Steve Newborn about her book - and her own experiences with her dying mother.
Here's the press release about the end-0f-life conference:
A public conference on the topic will draw four, nationally-known speakers to the Stetson College of Law in Tampa, 1700 N. Tampa St., on September 21, 2012, from 1-4 p.m. The conference is being presented by The Emerson Forum, a community education service of The Emerson Center of Tampa Bay. Conference speakers will include: Jay Wolfson, D.P.H., J.D., Guardian Ad Litem for Terri Schiavo, Assistant Vice President and Professor, at the University of South Florida and a Professor at the Stetson College of Law; Janice M. Van Dyck, an award-winning author of the novel Finding Frances; Howard Tuch, M.D., Director of Palliative Care Services at Tampa General Hospital and a member of USF Health; and James Orlowski, M.D., Chief of Pediatrics, Chairman of Ethics and Vice Chief of Staff at Florida Hospital/Tampa. The conference is open to both the professional community and the general public. Tickets are $60. A copy of the award-winning book Finding Frances will be given to the first 100 ticket purchasers. Tickets may be purchased online at http://emersonforum.tix.com or at the door. More information about the conference, speaker biographies and details regarding available co-sponsorship opportunities are available at www.emersonforum.org.
