We first met Lynda Shannon Bluestein when she was in palliative care back in May of 2022.
She was fighting for medical aid in dying (MAID) to be legalized in Connecticut. Frustrated, she sued Vermont to allow non-residents of the state to use its MAID laws.
In the meantime, she worked to install "wind phones'' in Connecticut, eventually starting a nonprofit called Lynda's Phones. An idea originating in Japan, old rotary phones are installed in public spaces which people can use to imagine that they are speaking to loved ones who have died.
Because of her lawsuit, Vermont became the first state in the country to change its law to allow terminally ill people from out of state to use its medical aid in dying law.
Lynda died in Concord, Vermont, on January 4, 2024.
For a transcript of this episode, click here.
Correction: A previous version of this episode incorrectly reported the town where Bluestein died. It was Concord, Vermont. Not Brattleboro. The episode has been updated.
GUESTS:
- Lynda Shannon Bluestein: Successfully sued the state of Vermont to allow out-of-state residents to use its medical aid in dying law. She is the creator of LyndasPhones.org, which installs wind phones across the state of Connecticut, allowing people to feel as though they are connecting with their loved ones who have died
- Jacob Shannon: Lynda’s son and trustee of LyndasPhones.org, funding the design, construction, and installation of wind phones
- Dr. Paul Bluestein: Lynda’s husband and an advocate for medical aid in dying in Connecticut
Jessica Severin de Martinez, Khaleel Rahman, Meg Fitzgerald, and Catie Talarski contributed to this show, with very special thanks to Meg Dalton for contributing her audio postcard about the wind phones from October 2023.
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