After recently watching the documentary, How to Die in Oregon, which can be found on Netflix, I started to ponder the concept of the “Death With Dignity Act (DWDA).” This Act offers terminally-ill patients the choice to die peacefully, rather than suffering overwhelming amounts of pain due to their disease. This law allows doctors to prescribe patients, with six months to live or less, lethal medications, if they qualify. The requirements asserted are in-depth and are in place in order to make sure the patient is not being forced into this decision or if they are suffering from a psychological disorder. They must apply in writing and verbally numerous times, along with consulting physicians and witnesses present. In the documentary the doctor administering the drug is constantly restating the fact that they have a choice to stop at anytime during the process, even up until the moment they are about to take the fatal dose. Many call this decision a suicide, meaning it is impulsive, but that could not be farther from the truth.
This contentious topic was brought into the public eye in early October by 29-year-old terminally ill, Brittany Maynard. Known for her adventurous spirit, Maynard tried to seize each day, but diagnosed with untreatable stage four malignant brain cancer, she was given six months to live last April. Suffering tremendously from frequent seizures and stroke-like symptoms, such as loss of speech and use of her own body, Maynard made the arduous decision to move with her family from California to Oregon in order to obtain access to the Death with Dignity law. November 1, 2014, was that date she picked to peacefully die in her home surrounded by family. Many criticized Maynard for this decision, some with views that this is a suicide, but her rebuttal simply said “I do not want to die. But I am dying. And I want to die on my own terms.” She also had spoken about how the rest of her life would be predominately filled with fear if this type of “freedom” was not available.
I commend this bravery, that I am not sure I would have if I were in her shoes. I completely support this law and think that more states should premit such a process to occur. We do not allow animals suffer when they are plagued with distress, so why do we allow humans to suffer? There is wide range of opinions, and some say that the Death With Dignity Act decreases and disrespects human life, but I disagree. Something about letting a person disintegrate before your own eyes and are forced to endure immense pain seems inhumane. The biggest difficultly I have had since Maynard came forward with her plans, is how people could vote against and post negative comments about her integrity to follow through with this decision. Unless you have or are in this similar situation, there is no way you could know how this person feels and the magnitude of their circumstance. Sometimes we have to put our beliefs aside and look at the bigger picture. Who am I to tell someone else how they can die? An elderly man in the documentary described how his father felt after suffering a stroke; how it was like he lived in a barrel where you could hear everything but had absolutely no power to do anything physically, and wanting to have a way out. That is a scary concept to think about and is a reason why I have confidence in this choice.
The Act ensures there is no underlying motive for death, except to pass before your body turns against you. The “Do Not Resuscitate” order is legal and can also cause death if you have potential to be living. You go through virtually a similar process in obtaining this order as you do for the DWDA, leading to my lack of understanding why this could be feasible while DWDA is deemed egregious. Oregon resident, Cody Curtis’ cancer had returned with a vengeance. She did not want her family to suffer while she would be deteriorating from cancer for the second time. Curtis felt like a “dead woman walking,” with no control over her own life, but with the DWDA she had the comfort of knowing that if the pain became intolerable, she could control it. I assume being able to receive the right to die with dignity and when THEY want to, rather than when the disease overrides that, presents a sort of comfort for the patient. To allow a human being to die in a slow painful death, and experience great agony is unambiguously the most inhumane thing I can fathom.