In a pastoral Vermont valley, a former hospice chaplain named Suzanne runs a retreat center for artists, health-care workers and educators — and, since mid-2023, terminally ill people seeking a safe, peaceful place to die.
Suzanne, who asked that her last name not be used for privacy reasons, is one of a small but growing number of property owners who have been providing space to people coming to Vermont for physician-assisted dying since the state lifted the residency requirement for a 2013 law allowing terminally ill patients to end their lives on their schedule.
“The thought of someone traveling to Vermont simply because it’s a legal state, and not having a home, and dying in a hotel … it made me cry,” said Suzanne, who was inspired after hearing a radio report about the lawsuit that forced Vermont to lift the requirement.