Natalia+G's+2015+OpEd+Article

Death with Dignity

Currently in most US states, terminally ill patients are suffering. Pain stricken and bedridden, helpless to care for themselves; they wait for their death. They lay in agony waiting for it all to be over. A miserable way to go.

But in some states, there is another option.

There is Death with Dignity.

Death with Dignity is the right to die. It is the legalization of physician assisted suicide.

In 1994, Oregon became the first state to ratify the Death with Dignity Act. Since then, the states Vermont and Washington have also passed similar laws allowing patients to voluntarily request medication to end their lives.

Under the Act, people who have received the diagnosis by two doctors that they have less 6 months to live can legally request the prescription of a drug “Barbiturate” in a lethal dose that when taken will end their life. See for yourself: [|__https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN3ObOK_ccs__]

The medication is requested voluntarily. And they have to ask for it multiple times orally and in writing with waiting periods in between before it’s given to them. Patients have the right to change their mind at anytime about taking it. In 2013, of the 122 prescriptions prescribed under the Death with Dignity Act, only 71 people took the medication. For a lot of people, the drug acts as a peace of mind. Assuring them that they have another option if the pain ever becomes too much. Or oppositely, they can choose not to take the drug at all.

The key idea here is: choice. The person can choose how to leave things with their family and when it’s time to go. How many terminal patients get to say that? They can say a proper goodbye. They can save their family from the debt of days in the hospital on life support. But most importantly, they can die when they are still themselves.

All terminally ill patients should have this right. The right to die if they don’t want to spend their last days suffering. Terminal patients have lost so much control of their lives by being sick, and Death with Dignity gives them some control back.

I think opposing arguments are invalid and selfish. If terminal means that a person is going to die anyway, what’s the big deal about when? Patients can avoid extra pain; they can avoid extra suffering. I hope laws like this get passed in every state. People need to recognize that death is personal. A person should be allowed to decide what happens to their own life. Just because one person doesn’t believe in physician- assisted suicide, doesn’t give them the right to say that no one else should believe in it either. If you don’t like it, then you can ignore it. It’s not a decision that concerns you. If it doesn’t affect you, stay out of it. It’s their life and they should have a say in how it ends.

Side note: If you’re interested in this topic, I encourage you to watch the 2011 documentary // How to Die in Oregon // ; available on Netflix. It’s a worthy watch and a wonderful film that showcases both sides of the controversy. Check out the trailer: [|__https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srdo5UYyTiU__]

And if you’re not interested in a whole film about it, here’s a clip that sums it up nicely: [|__https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpsTzcoBuoA__]