The Death I Want

Dr. Roger Kligler is a retired Internist with incurable metastatic prostate cancer. He graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1978, and did his internship at Cornell Cooperating Hospitals 1979. He trained in primary care internal medicine at University of California Davis in 1981 and is Board certified in Internal Medicine. He practiced in Little Falls, NY for 1 year and then in Brockton, MA where he practiced Internal Medicine and was Medical Director of Goddard Medical Associates and subsequently Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates. His practice was a traditional internal medicine practice, including working in the office, hospital (including ICU/CCU) and nursing homes.

Since his retirement three years ago he has devoted his time volunteering with Compassion & Choices, the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit dedicated to improving care and expanding options at the end of life. Roger works tirelessly to educate on medical aid in dying (MAiD) across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and among legislators to enable passage of this important legislation.  Medical aid in dying would give those who are terminally ill with a prognosis of 6 month or less to live the right, if their suffering becomes unbearable, to obtain a prescription from their physician to ingest a medication that would provide a peaceful ending. Dr. Kligler is lobbying for the passage of MAiD legislation. He is also suing the Commonwealth for the option of MAiD. He worked with the Massachusetts Medical Society to change it’s stance opposing MAiD to engaged neutrality, meaning that the society will work towards training physicians on MAiD and end of life care once MAiD is authorized in the Commonwealth. He is also lobbying the AMA to change its opposition to MAiD.