The “Death with Dignity” Debate Continues

Every few years, a story hits the mainstream media which brings the “Death with Dignity” debate back to forefront. Such a story surfaced this week with the choice of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old young lady with terminal brain cancer. Per her story from cnn.com, Brittany stated: “I quickly decided that death with dignity was the best option for me and my family.” In Brittany’s mind, “death with dignity” meant Oregon’s “legal” assisted suicide. Please read her complete story at http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/07/opinion/maynard-assisted-suicide-cancer-dignity/index.html before you continue reading.

Another portion of the article stood out to me: “I considered passing away in hospice care at my San Francisco Bay-area home. But even with palliative medication, I could develop potentially morphine-resistant pain and suffer personality changes and verbal, cognitive and motor loss of virtually any kind. Because the rest of my body is young and healthy, I am likely to physically hang on for a long time even though cancer is eating my mind. I probably would have suffered in hospice care for weeks or even months. And my family would have had to watch that.” My immediate thought is that her family would then have the opportunity to share the journey together and relish the moments of caring for the one they love.

I am not the only one who has felt moved to respond to this article, and I would like to share a response you may not see on CNN or any other mainstream media outlet, but it is one worth sharing. It is a response from someone else who is battling a terminal diagnosis herself but has chosen a different path. Here is Kara Tippett’s letter to Brittany: http://www.aholyexperience.com/2014/10/dear-brittany-why-we-dont-have-to-be-so-afraid-of-dying-suffering-that-we-choose-suicide/

The “Death with Dignity” debate will continue and choices regarding hospice care for loved ones are made every day. If you would like to explore further some of the advantages of hospice care for your loved one or so that you might better understand what hospice offers, please watch the “Hospice- Something More” 15-minute video at http://hospicefoundation.org/End-of-Life-Support-and-Resources/Coping-with-Terminal-Illness/Hospice-Services .