I was sad to read this article in People's magazine about Brittney Maynard, a 29 year old woman with stage 4 glioblastoma, a terminal brain cancer. She died Saturday November 1st by taking a fatal dose of barbiturates prescribed by her doctor.
Brittney decided she didn't want to go through chemotherapy because of the side effects and it would only prolong her suffering. Also, following her diagnosis she and her family moved from California to Oregon due to Oregon's Death with Dignity law. She knew Glioblastoma was a very painful death, and she didn't want to die that way.
On October 6, she started an online video campaign with Compassion and Choices hoping to expand dying with dignity laws to more states.
After reading Brittney's story, I realized death with dignity wasn't an issue I had thought much about. That might be because I've had no personal experience with the issue. My father's family was small and distant. My grandmother on my father's side died 2 months before I was born. My grandfather died at age 92 but from old age. My mother was born in Germany. Her family was all in Germany. I never met my grandparents on my mother's side.
After reading her story, my opinion is I don't have the right to tell a terminally ill person when their suffering is too much. I've never walked in their shoes and I haven't walked in the shoes of their loved ones. Therefore, I support expanding death with dignity laws to give people that option if they choose.
In fact, upon reading about the Oregon law I learned there are a lot of safeguards. For example, patients need to have a psychiatric evaluation. In addition, the patient has to ask for the prescription 3 times over the span of a month. Finally, it is up to the patient to fill the prescription and take the pills at a time of their choosing. In fact, one-third the time the person never takes them.
Does it help people just to know that option is available if their suffering becomes too much?
I also noticed this sentence from the above linked article:
The media haven’t discovered any instances in which people were rushed to their death or somebody said, after the fact, “I really think this was a horrible thing and I wish we hadn’t gone that way. I wish we hadn’t chosen it.”
I understand this can be a sensitive topic and kossacks may have strong feelings both pro or con. I also understand some people may have religious beliefs that make such a law harder for them to accept. However, I believe in freedom of religion where we all have a right to worship as we choose, but we don't have a right to impose that on society. I hope this diary will result in constructive, respectful discussion.
I hope Brittney R.I.P and I wish her family and friends the best!