By Jamie Stoud

Messenger Staff Writer

Every day thousands of people attempt suicide, 10% of those people have terminal illnesses. What if there was a way that patients could go on their own terms, while it’s legal and pain free?

I believe that people who have been diagnosed with terminal illnesses and do not have long to live, should be able to end their suffering in a humane way. Almost all terminal illnesses come with a lot of pain and other side effects in the last couple months of life. Not only is the pain excruciating, but the bill you leave to your loved ones, in the most cases, is never ending.

Last year Medicare paid $50 million just for doctors and hospital bills for people in their last two months of life, which is way more than both the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education. Sadly, 20%-30% of these expenses have no meaningful impact. And most of the cost of hospital bills is not covered by insurance. These bills can haunt family members for years upon years, and cause lots of stress.

Oregon, Vermont, and Washington have the “Death by Dignity” law, a way to end the prolonged suffering involved in being terminal. To apply for Death by Dignity you have be terminal with six or less months to live, talk to your physician, and be able to administer the pill yourself. Out of the roughly 1,173 people who have gotten the Death by Dignity only 64% have actually used it. This shows that just being able to have that option does not mean that it leads everyone to take their own life.

Why doesn’t California have such a law? Some may say that it is against their religion, or that no one should take their own life. But why should someone have to suffer immensely if they know that the end result will be death? Also many people want to be with their loved ones when they pass away.

Brittany Maynard, a 27 year old newlywed, is one of the many people taking advantage of Death by Dignity. A year after she got married Maynard was diagnosed with an aggressive type of brain cancer. She knew that her quality of life would be gone if she went through with the amount of radiation needed to maybe shrink the growing tumor in her brain. So she decided to try to find another way to die peacefully while enjoying the little life she had left. Maynard eventually found Death by Dignity; the only problem was she lived in California. So her, her husband, mother, and best friend packed up their things and moved to Oregon.

“Now, I’m able to move forward in my remaining days or weeks I have on this beautiful Earth, to seek joy and love and to spend time traveling to outdoor wonders of nature with those I love. And I know that I have a safety net.” Maynard states after she got the Death by Dignity pill.

Many people think that they should hold out as long as possible in case they get better and just spend as much time with their loved ones as possible. Shocking studies show that 90% of older people who are diagnosed with a terminal illness commit suicide. If they had access to assisted suicide, then maybe their families could have some peace of mind and understand why they are taking their own life.
“I hope for the sake of my fellow American citizens that I’ll never meet that this option is available to you. If you ever find yourself walking a mile in my shoes, I hope that you would at least be given the same choice and that no one tries to take it from you.” Maynard believes that all Americans should at least be given the option to die peacefully and surrounded by the ones they love.