Death with dignity

[gsj68]

One Woman's Quest to Die With Dignity—and What It Means for Us All

"Yesterday, a 29-year-old woman announced that she — not the rare tumor in her brain — is going to end her life on Nov. 1.Her goal is to raise awareness about a growing "dying with dignity" movement that gives terminally ill people the right to choose when they take their final breath.
In an online video campaign with advocacy organization Compassion & Choices, Brittany Maynard tells her story: Debilitating headaches, which started right after her wedding, eventually led to her being diagnosed with stage IV glioblastoma multiforme, a fast-growing brain cancer that usually kills its victims in a matter of months.
"My glioblastoma is going to kill me, and that's out of my control," she told People magazine in an exclusive interview."I've discussed with many experts how I would die from it, and it's a terrible, terrible way to die. Being able to choose to go with dignity is less terrifying."
After exploring and weighing the options available to her, Maynard and her husband decided to move from San Francisco to Portland, Ore., where she would have access to Oregon's Death With Dignity Act (DWDA). Passed in 1997, the law "allows terminally ill Oregonians to end their lives through the voluntary self-administration of lethal medications, expressly prescribed by a physician for that purpose."
According the most recent data 1,173 people have had DWDA prescriptions written, and 752 patients have died from ingesting medications prescribed under the DWDA. To qualify under DWDA, a person has to be a mentally competent adult and a resident of the state of Oregon.
"The goal is to give people who are terminally ill a dignified way to exit," George Eighmey, a retired Oregon legislator who helped pass the law, told Yahoo Health. "That begins with making sure they are getting the best possible care, and that they have the opportunity to explore every option available to them."
https://www.yahoo.com/health/one-wom...374572007.html

[gsj68]

cant tell you how many times my unwillingness to quit has lead to success/victory/life

what is winning? its not losing,quitting is a guaranteed lose

ive been in a position where quitting would of taken all the sickness away but i didnt and im still here

[shrewsbury]

I was on the radio today discussing this very topic.
Death with dignity is not about killing yourself whenever you want. It is about having choices in end of life situations. Miracles happen and you have the right (and I fully support it) to try and make it through anything. The facts are, for many with terminal and vicious illnesses they will die a horrible death and they will drain their family financially, physically, and mentally.
I believe that this should be a medical based service with professionals on hand and the drug should be administered by a professional. I also believe hospice education should be involved at the family and patient levels, this would include any legalities involved.
This is not the right to give up and die, it is an option for end of life situations.

[imronron]

First of all I feel very sad for her, it used to be that we took psychology seriously and that people with suicidal thoughts could be helped, what happened? Now we assist? What a waste of time and resources for suicide prevention hotlines eh? A brain tumor are we so sure she is competent? The slope is getting really slippery. Mattie Stepanek lived and died with dignity.

[duane1969]

I fall somewhere in the middle on this. There are certainly health issues which are "terminal" that are not always terminal, so self-termination seems a bit extreme. At the same time, I think that a person who is clearly going to die and wants to go with dignity rather than slowly and painfully wither away should have that right.

What I am seeing with this woman is she wants to end her life before the bad part begins. I understand that, but there are possibilities. For one, the article says that stage IV gliobastoma kills within months, yet I found information that says with treatment people can live 1-1.5 years with a 5% survival rate. Call me crazy, but if I have 1+ years to spend with my family and have a 1 in 20 chance of surviving, I am not going to kill myself after a few months.

[shrewsbury]

people can live 1-1.5 years with a 5% survival rate. Call me crazy, but if I have 1+ years to spend with my family and have a 1 in 20 chance of surviving,

some people prefer quality over quantity, surviving another 1-2 years in extreme misery, and being a financial drain on your loved ones, may not be what some call a life worth living.

, it used to be that we took psychology seriously

first off the real work of psychology is not in psychoanalysis, it is in science. Psychology has evolved and has lead to some of the best discoveries in the last 100 years.
these people are not suicidal, they are realist, and though many people want to hold onto life at any cost, others realize a life of extreme pain, drugged up, can't care for yourself, and debt that will be with your family long after death, is not living. I know most humans are ultimately selfish in life, for their life outweighs the health of their loved ones.
perhaps knowing what suicide and depression are would help you know that is not the case in these circumstances.

[Star_Cards]

I agree with duane on this subject. While I get that she doesn't want to go through the probable pain her illness will cause I would probably approach it as a wait and see type of thing. I think I'd wait and see what happens. I assume the deterioration of her quality of life would be somewhat gradual. I'd probably be more likely to play it by ear rather than cashing out while I felt good and could still experience life positively.

[gsj68]

I fall somewhere in the middle on this. There are certainly health issues which are "terminal" that are not always terminal, so self-termination seems a bit extreme. At the same time, I think that a person who is clearly going to die and wants to go with dignity rather than slowly and painfully wither away should have that right.

What I am seeing with this woman is she wants to end her life before the bad part begins. I understand that, but there are possibilities. For one, the article says that stage IV gliobastoma kills within months, yet I found information that says with treatment people can live 1-1.5 years with a 5% survival rate. Call me crazy, but if I have 1+ years to spend with my family and have a 1 in 20 chance of surviving, I am not going to kill myself after a few months.

one thing card trading has changed for me is my perception of odds,ill take 1in20 all day long,heck i now view 1in1000 as good odds

[duane1969]

one thing card trading has changed for me is my perception of odds,ill take 1in20 all day long,heck i now view 1in1000 as good odds

lol +1

[shrewsbury]

one thing card trading has changed for me is my perception of odds,ill take 1in20 all day long,heck i now view 1in1000 as good odds

so does your family/loved come into consideration? and you realize you are talking about one case of one illness, most who are terminally ill are indeed terminal.
I have no issue with playing the odds, but not when my family is at stake.

do you spend every dollar you have on lotto? each ticket you buy increases the odds