#106: The Right to Die

Morbid blog entry alert! The faint of heart need to turn back now! You have been warned.

At the end of 2014, there was news buzzing about Oregon’s relatively new act called “Death with Dignity” when Brittany Maynard, 29, who was terminally ill with brain cancer, chose to leave her home in California to move to Oregon and become a resident there, so she could take advantage of this new act. On November 1, 2014, Maynard passed away on her own terms, in her own bed in Oregon, surrounded by family, rather than succumbing to her terminal disease, which would have caused her to painfully waste away in front of her family.

In order to be eligible for the Death with Dignity Act, you must be a resident of a state that has passed the act: Oregon, Vermont, & Washington (soon to be California as well.) Montana also has a similar act in place. Also, in order to qualify, no fewer than two doctors must deem you mentally sound and terminally ill, as well as give you a prognosis of 6 months or less to live. You would not be eligible just based on age or disability. In the event that you are eligible, you may choose one of multiple ways to die on your own terms. Maynard chose to die by ingesting doctor-prescribed pills.

There were, as expected, many critics of this poor young woman’s decision. Many people believe suicide to be wrong or a “sin.” A lot of people contend that it should not be our choice if we live or die; it should be the choice of a higher power or the universe itself. Many people even say that, if you pray to a higher power, you will be healed, and if you are not healed, then the higher power will take you when he/she is ready for you to go. A lot of people who believe in the existence of Heaven & Hell believe that people who commit suicide will no longer be eligible to enter the pearly gates of Heaven, and instead, are doomed to an eternity in Hell. Many people said she should have tried whatever she could to try to survive. Many people believe suicide to be selfish, as you leave behind family that may depend on you, and if they don’t depend on you, they still love you and will hurt when they lose you. For all of these reasons, Maynard endured backlash for her decision. But Maynard countered that she was not committing suicide, because dying was not even a choice for her: “I am not suicidal…I do not want to die. But I am dying. And I want to die on my own terms.” (You can read all about Maynard’s story on www.cnn.com/2014/10/07/opinion/maynard-assisted-suicide-cancer-dignity/.

Put aside your personal beliefs as to whether or not suicide is wrong, or whether or not this situation qualifies as suicide. Let’s think realistically about what this act is. It’s mercy. Once Maynard found out she had terminal brain cancer, she basically lived at the hospital. The doctors told her the tumor would just keep getting worse, and there was no cure for it. They could try to extend her life past her prognosis of 6 months by giving her full brain radiation, a long, painful procedure that wasn’t even guaranteed to make a difference at all. There was no treatment that could save her life, and the recommended treatments would destroy what little life she had left. Doctors told her she would waste away for weeks or even months in extreme pain, while her family watched her lose her verbal, cognitive, and motor skills. It would have been a painful process for both her and her family. THIS was the only life she had left to look forward to, and with only misery left ahead of her, Maynard thought the best decision was to end her life before it became unbearable for all parties involved.

Today on Facebook, I read an article about an elderly couple who committed suicide by jumping in front of an oncoming train, because the wife was wasting away after a brain aneurism, and the husband did not want to live without her. While this is a sad yet still sweet story, this is what happens when people are not allowed to end their lives legally with medical assistance. An innocent, unknowing, unwilling third party (the train conductor) was forcibly involved in this tragic accident, and he will never forget or probably forgive himself for taking 2 lives, even if it wasn’t his fault or done intentionally. A husband and wife died tragically, instead of dying peacefully in their bed. They died alone, rather than surrounded by family and friends. No one knew until right before it happened, when the husband called his son to tell him they loved him, so instead of being let down easy over time, the family was struck with shock and grief. I think the Death with Dignity Act will keep things like this from happening, so it might help way more than hurt.

Now, moving into a bit of a different direction, many people believe it is our right to die with dignity if we are already going to die soon, but I think far fewer people believe it is our right to die at any point in our lives, no matter the circumstances. If a person, whether mentally sound or not, whether terminally ill, just plain old, completely disabled, or perfectly healthy and young, should it be a person’s right to take his/her own life if he/she wishes to do so? I think most people will say no. I think there will be varying reasons why, but I want an answer with substance. When people use excuses such as, it’s a “sin,” it’s wrong, or it’s selfish, I can’t help but think that those answers are just opinions. A lot of people don’t even believe in “sin,” as a lot of people are not Christians, and a lot of people have different understandings as to what qualifies as “wrong.” If there is no direct victim, how can something be wrong? If a person chooses to take his/her own life, it is only directly affecting him/her, not anyone else. For instance, if you murder someone else, it wasn’t that person’s choice to die; he/she is the victim, so murder is wrong. Or if you’re a Christian, murder is a “sin.” And as far as “selfish” goes, everyone has their own opinion on that. Typically when people are so depressed that they want to die, they feel like their family & friends would be better off without them, so they feel like suicide is actually a noble & selfless cause, so this point is also debatable. So if someone simply doesn’t enjoy life & doesn’t want to live anymore, you might have your own morals that make you wish they would fight for their lives & find their happiness, but who are we to tell other people how to live or how to die? Is it our right to interfere?

And if everyone should have the right to die, then are there any reasons to ever deny someone that right? A lot of people agree the terminally ill should have this right, but what about people who are simply old & wasting away? People who are sickly but don’t have a terminal disease? People who are severely disabled? What about people who are physically healthy and young but simply don’t want to live? Should we deny people based on whether or not they are mentally sound? Should we even force them to get a doctor’s opinion, or should we just let them choose their fate & follow through with it?

Please understand I’m not condoning suicide, nor am I trying to make excuses for why it should be legal for people to kill themselves. I am simply asking what other people think about the subject, because I think this is an interesting talking point. However, I do believe the Death with Dignity Act is a great act that should be made available everywhere. No one should have to waste away in severe pain & misery due to a terminal illness, especially when the family would have to watch it happen. Thoughts?

 Brittany Maynard before she passed with dignity.