Category Archives: Death
Documentary Review: How to Die in Oregon
How to Die in Oregon opens in Roger Sagner’s living room. He is surrounded by family and friends as he prepares to down the lethal drink that will end his life. Thanks to Oregon’s death with dignity law, Roger and … Continue reading
Posted in Death, Documentary, Grief, Media, Physician Assisted Suicide
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Movie Review: Taking Chance
When a member of the US military dies in battle, their remains are transferred home for burial through a process called a dignified transfer. The body is placed in a metal casket surrounded by ice packs in the theater of … Continue reading
Movie Review: Wit
WIT is a movie that tells the story of Vivian, a brilliant professor who is diagnosed with cancer. Throughout the movie we see how her life has been lonely as her constant companion is only literature. Her only visitor is … Continue reading
Movie Review: Terms of Endearment
Terms of Endearment begins with a mother’s fear that her daughter has died and ends with the reality of her daughter’s death. Love and grief are intertwined in this story that tells the story of the complicated relationship between Emma … Continue reading
Academic: Black Female Mortality and Reduced Abortion Access
Link: Black Female Mortality and Reduced Abortion Access Black women, regardless of education or wealth, have always been more likely than White women to die due to pregnancy related complications. Abortion restrictions, which have also decreased the availability of maternal … Continue reading
Posted in Academic, African American, Death, General
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Academic: Africa and Death
This post was written as part of a course in African American Deathways at Marian University. The Africa of my childhood was a fierce and exotic land where elephants and lions roamed free and where barely clad warriors fought with … Continue reading
Posted in Academic, African American, Death, Funeral, Memorials
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Academic: Africanisms in Homegoing Ceremonies
Note: This was written for a class in African American Deathways for a course at Marian University. The sounds of gospel music, church hymns, and spirituals rise to the rafters during African American Homegoing service as neighbors, friends, and relatives … Continue reading
Posted in Academic, African American, Afterlife, Death, Memorials
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Academic: Social Death and the Mentally Ill
Note: This was written as an assignment for my course in applied mental healthcare ethics. The sounds of inpatient mental health wards are haunting. The screams of inpatients, the sounds of heads banging against walls, and the shuffling feet are … Continue reading
Academic: Death Witches
Link: Death Witches: Women Reformers in the Death Industry Witch. The very word conjures images of green skinned old hags stirring cauldrons of nastiness as they prepare to hex cows, wreak havoc on townspeople, and steal Dorothy’s ruby red slippers. … Continue reading
I want to start by saying that I really do admire and honor the work that Caitlin Doughty does in advocating for a good death and for challenging some of the norms of the funeral industry. I also want to … Continue reading