Concern for Dying - Vol.5 No.4 - Katharine Mali, A Bold Leader

Sep 30, 2026

Concern for Dying’s Vol.5 No.4 (Fall 1979) highlights leadership transitions, announcing Elizabeth Hitchcock Gaillard as the new president and reflecting on Katharine Mali’s influence on rights surrounding refusal of treatment and respect for the autonomy of dying persons. The issue also previews the eleventh annual conference, “Convincing the System to Leave You Alone,” focusing on how health professionals and families address terminal patients’ decisions, including legal and practical approaches and clinical dilemmas in intensive care.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Katharine Mali, A Bold Leader

CFD Elects New President

Conference to Explore "How To's" of Refusing Treatment

Patient Ambivalence

CONCERN FOR DYING an educational council Vol.5 No.4—Fall 1979 # Katharine Mali,A Bold Leader CFD Elects New President At its meeting on October 10,the board of directors of Concern for Dying elected a new presi-dent,Elizabeth Hitchcock Gaillard.Mrs.Gaillard is the third person to serve in this capacitysince the organization was incorporated in 1967.Katharine Mali,who succeeded DonaldMcKinney and has been president for the past 10 years,has extended the following message of Katharine Mali has served as president ofConcern for Dying during the years inwhich its work has won internationalrecognition.She had been involved inPlanned Parenthood in that organization'searly days,and when she shifted herattention to the opposite end of thehuman life cycle it was because she feltthat the concept of family planning hadweathered its most crucial period.Deathand dying was an area still to bepioneered;it was,as sex had been ageneration earlier,a subject avoided inpolite conversation.It is due in no smallmeasure to her efforts that the conceptsof the right to refuse treatment and theobligation of health care personnel torespect the autonomy of dying persons arenow the subject of novels,plays andfilms,as well as topics for seriousdiscussion and research by practitionersand educators in the health care field. welcome to Mrs.Gaillard: Good for us!We congratulateourselves on our new president,who has served as a leader inmany distinguished and worth-while enterprises,including theposts of Program Director of theAtlantic Council and PublicAffairs Officer of the UnitedStates Mission to the UnitedNations.While at the UnitedNations she initiated the programof guided tours which made itpossible for the public to visitand observe the functioning ofthe international organization.She has been a member of ourboard of directors for two years,and we rejoice that she is nowprepared to commit an evenlarger share of her talent,exper-ience and powerful sense ofresponsibility to the cause ofConcern for Dying.Welcome toPresident Betty Gaillard! A friend at Concern for Dying has saidthat one of Kay Mali's greatest achieve-ments has been to bring wit and grace aswell as compassion to a subject longconsidered grim and distasteful.The arherineMal (Continued on page 6) Three presidents:Donald McKinney,Elizabeth H.Gaillard and Katharine Mali at October 10 meeting. ## Conference to Explore "How To's"of Refusing Treatment department and is the author of theAmerican Civil Liberties Union hand-book,The Rights of Hospital Patients. When a patient says "Let me die,"howdo health care professionals respond?CFD's eleventh annual conference,entitled Convincing the System to LeaveYou Alone,will explore the role of healthprofessionals in supporting the rights ofthe terminallyill and will offer practicaladvice for patients and families whoencounter roadblocks to participation indecision-making.The conference will beheld on December 8,at the Plaza Hotel inNew York,from 8:45 a.m.to 4:30 p.m.The faculty will include a doctor,nurses,lawyers,a patient advocate and a hospitaladministrator. Eleventh Annual ConferenceSaturday,December 8,1979 Mr.Glantz will discuss the patient'sright to refuse treatment,the legal statusof the incompetent patient,and the ad-vantages and disadvantages of LivingWills and right-to-die legislation.Mr.Annas will focus on means other than theLiving Will—release forms,powers ofattorney,leaving the hospital—that can becalled on as reinforcements to implementa dying person's decision to refuse treat-ment.The two addresses will be followedby comments from Robert E.Neale,Th.D.,professor of psychiatry and reli-gion at Union Theological Seminary. Registration,coffee 8:45-9:15 9:15-9:30Welcome:Elizabeth H.Gaillard,president 9:30-10The Right to Refuse TreatmentLeonard H.Glantz,J.D. 10-10:30Implementing the Right to RefuseTreatment George J.Annas,M.P.H. 10:30-10:45 Comments Robert E.Neale,Th.D. 11-12:30 Discussion groups

FAQs

Who was elected as the new president of Concern for Dying, and when?

Concern for Dying elected Elizabeth Hitchcock Gaillard as president at a meeting on October 10.

What did the issue say about Katharine Mali’s impact on end-of-life rights?

It credits her efforts with advancing concepts such as the right to refuse treatment and the obligation to respect the autonomy of dying persons.

What is the focus and title of the eleventh annual conference?

The eleventh annual conference, titled “Convincing the System to Leave You Alone,” explores the role of health professionals in supporting the rights of the terminally ill and addresses practical barriers faced by patients and families.

Sep 30, 2026

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