This past Saturday, Brittany Maynard, the face of the death with dignity movement, ended her life. Last spring, Brittany was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. After her diagnosis, she and her family moved from California to Oregon because death with dignity, or physician-assisted suicide, is legal there, along with four other states: Washington, Montana, Vermont and New Mexico. Maynard knew dying from her illness would be a “terrible, terrible way to die.” Furthermore, she said death with dignity is not suicide because she did not want to die; she was dying from an illness.
Brittany wrote on Facebook, “Goodbye to all my dear friends and family that I love. Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness, this terrible brain cancer that has taken so much from me … but would have taken so much more … Goodbye world. Spread good energy. Pay it forward!”
Dying from a terminal illness, like cancer, is a very painful experience for the patient as well as for the patient’s friends and family. Unfortunately, there are certain incurable illnesses. Our generation must face this controversial question: Should people diagnosed with such diseases, like Brittany, be forced to live a life of pain of suffering? Brittany’s doctors told her while she could undergo treatments with harsh side-effects like chemotherapy and radiation, her disease would not be cured; they would only extend her life. Death with dignity raises fundamental questions, such as what does life mean? And is life worth living if there is no real quality to it? Such decisions are very personal, especially determining when and how to die.
The decision to die to escape further pain should not require one to move states. While Brittany had the means to move to a state where death with dignity is legal and fulfill her bucket list, many people do not have the same opportunities and are forced into a very painful process. For this reason, Brittany partnered with an end-of-life advocacy organization, Compassion & Choices, to push more states to change their death with dignity laws.
Death with dignity is not a simple subject, nor is it an easy one. However, it is a topic that needs discussion. While Brittany Maynard may be the most famous name associated with death with dignity, hers is not the only one. Patients who are still capable of making competent decisions should be allowed physician-assisted suicide. However, such an important and irreversible decision must not be made quickly, nor in the heat of the moment. Furthermore, in accordance with what Brittany said, death with dignity should not be considered suicide because the patient does not have the desire to end his or her life, and the patient is already in the process of dying.
Finally, we must recognize that death with dignity is giving patients a choice and is not compulsory. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson famously wrote that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are inalienable rights. If that is true, then death with dignity must be a choice available to all Americans.
John David Thompson is a sophomore studying piano performance. His column runs biweekly.
