Today’s Death & Dying Advocates: Amazing Women Furthering the Conversation
We spotlight writers, activists, nonprofit founders, elected officials, and other women who have publicly advocated for end-of-life care reform, uplifted death work, and educated the public on what death and dying entails. It takes a collective effort to start and continue a movement, so we show appreciation for the work that these women have done in their respective fields for Women’s History Month.
Katy Butler
Background: Journalist, public speaker, and bestselling author.
Most Known For: Authoring two well-known end-of-life books and a viral NYT magazine essay. Her 2010 New York Times Magazine article about her family’s difficult end-of-life experiences (“What Broke My Father’s Heart”) captured mainstream traction and was the basis of her first book, Knocking on Heaven’s Door. In 2019, she also authored The Art of Dying Well: a Practical Guide to a Good End of Life
Expertise: Improving end-of-life medicine and the doctor-patient relationship.
Read More About Her: https://www.katybutler.com/author/
Alua Arthur
Background: Death Doula, attorney, adjunct professor, and founder of Going with Grace. Alua sits on the Board of Directors of the End of Life Doula Council of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).
Most Known For: Starting of Going with Grace, a nonprofit that offers virtual death doula training and end-of-life planning services. They prepare students to take the National End-of-Life Doula (NEDA) proficiency assessment. She also runs Death Doula Den, a paid-access online community for community healers and death doulas providing peer mentorship, support, and resource-sharing.
Expertise: Leader in the field of death work and has guided thousands of people and their loved ones through the end-of-life process.
Read More About Her: https://goingwithgrace.com/about-alua/ and https://www.thecut.com/2020/10/how-i-get-it-done-alua-arthur-death-doula.html
Tammy Baldwin
Background: Lawyer, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin since 2013, and member of the Democratic Party.
Most Known For: Bec the first openly LGBT woman elected to the House of Representatives and to the Senate in 1999 and 2013, respectively. Senator Baldwin is the primary caregiver for her grandmother and borne from this experience was her passion for reform in the aging and dying policy space.
Expertise: Author of the 2022 Bipartisan Bill to Improve Palliative and Hospice Care. This proposed legislation recognizes that our aging population requires more palliative-trained providers and professionals to fulfill complex patient needs. This bill calls for investing in a larger healthcare workforce through more interdisciplinary training in palliative and hospice care programs, building more education centers, and directing the NIH to expand palliative care research.
Read More About Her: https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/news/press-releases/baldwin-capito-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-improve-palliative-and-hospice-care and https://womeninwisconsin.org/profile/tammy-baldwin/
Julie McFadden, BSN, RN
Background: Southern California ICU and Hospice nurse. Viral TikTok account, which can be found under her handle hospicenursejulie.
Most Known For: Her viral, educational TikTok videos about death and dying from her experience as a hospice nurse.
Expertise: “I love my job because I help people find peace in death.” Prior to becoming a hospice nurse, Julie spent a decade working as an ICU nurse.
Read More About Her: https://www.distractify.com/p/hospice-nurse-julie-tiktok
Caitlin Doughty
Background: Mortician, Funeral reform activist, nonprofit founder, author, funeral home co-owner
Most Known For: Founding The Good Death and writing 3 New York Times bestsellers on death culture. She also co-owns a funeral home, Clarity Funerals, that puts her advocacy into practice.
Expertise: Death Positivity and Community Building
Read More About Her: https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/staff/
About Guaranteed
Guaranteed is a black-, queer-, women-led organization that is changing the way we die. We celebrate and honor the accomplishments of women in the month of March, and every month. Learn more about Jessica's founder story at https://www.onguaranteed.com/#jessicas-story.