MORTON — End-of-life issues are the focus of the Diocese of Peoria’s Health Care Ethics Conference 2008 scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 23, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

As it was last year, the conference will be held in Morton at Ashland House, 201 E. Ashland St. Featured keynote speakers are Dr. Thomas Pitre, who will give a presentation on Catholic ethics and end-of-life issues, and Dr. Byron Calhoun, whose talk will be on perinatal hospice.

The conference, which includes lunch and breakout sessions, is of special interest to physicians, nurses, health care administrators, ethics staff members and pastoral care workers.

The deadline for early bird registration is Tuesday, Oct. 21. Early bird registration is $45 and at-the-door registration is $50. Groups of 10 or more will receive $5 off for each additional registrant.

Registration forms are available online at www.cdop.org. Make checks payable to Diocese of Peoria. Mail forms and payment to the Office of Respect Life and Human Dignity, 1902 18th St. B, Moline, IL 61265.