Should people be allowed to end their life on their terms? Nope.
Recently, the media has brought forth an interesting story about Brittany Maynard. Maynard, 29, ended her life on Nov. 1 after being diagnosed with Stage-4 glioblastoma last spring.
Maynard moved to Oregon, one of the the three states that has the Death with Dignity law.
The other states that allow people to do this are Washington and Vermont.
The end-of-life care law allows terminally-ill individuals to request permission from their physician to end their life with barbiturates.
Maynard should have kept fighting her glioblastoma.
Yes, she planned out her month to experience new endeavors with her family but she could have remained alive for an extended time and gained even more experiences.
If she would have taken chemotherapy and medicine, she could have lived out the remainder of her days to the fullest extent.
Now that Maynard discontinued her life, many others are going to do whatever they can to get Death with Dignity laws in their state. That is not the way to go.
If someone is choosing to end his life with barbiturates, he is basically giving up on life , literally.
A majority of people are always told to try their best and never give up throughout life. If they’re unable to, they usually get the “at least you tried” talk from family and friends. This works for many situations, such as school and work, but not death.
Think about how it can affect everyone in someone’s life if a person chooses to die, especially relatives and companions. Grieving begins when the choice is made to end a life with medicine. Family members will know that their loved one had lost all hope, even though they themselves still had plenty in their heart. The family is practically planning a funeral with an exact date to attend.
There is always more to life. Something new is happening all the time, each day. It’s worth staying alive one more day and living out the many wonders of the world.
The fighting should never stop and the hope should never die. If Maynard or any other terminally-ill patient would just continue living and at least try to beat any diagnosis, people might find a cure. There is such a concept known as a miracle. Anything can happen.
California, along with other states, should not approve any Death with Dignity laws and people with life-threatening diagnoses should consider their loved ones when making such an impacting choice.
Keep in mind, how awkward is it to walk inside a doctor’s office and schedule an appointment to die?
