Runninghead:ASSISTEDSUICIDE

AssistedSuicide:BrittanyMaynardVideo
SamanthaMaeNaughten
TheUniversityofTexasatElPaso

Runninghead:ASSISTEDSUICIDE

Euthanasia,orassistedsuicide,hasbeenalongdebateonmoralityandmortality.It
involvesaphysicianaidingapatientinhisorherowndecideddeathbyadministeringalethal
dosageofdrugs.ThemostrecentcasethathasmadeheadlineswasthecaseofBrittanyMaynard
who,attheyoungageof29,discoveredshehadterminalbraincancerwithonlysixmonthsleft
tolive.InaYouTubevideocalledBrittanyMaynarddiesusingOregonsassistedsuicidelaw
producedbyKK,Ms.Maynardspeaksoutaboutherreasoningforchoosingtodiewithdignity,
statingthathavingtheoptiontodiepainlesslyandpeacefullygiveshergreatrelief.Hermother
andhusbandarealsoseeninthevideo,supportingBrittanysdecision.Iplantousethe
informationfromthisvideotoeducatetheaudienceonthethoughtprocessbehindwhysomeone
withaterminalillnesswouldchoosetodieontheirownaccord.

AudienceandPurpose
Theintendedaudienceordiscoursecommunityofthisvideowouldnotbechildren.The
partofthevideothatstatesthatstudiesshowthatfewpatientssurvivebeyondthreeyears(KK,
2014),couldnoteasilybeexplainedtoachildnorcouldthesubjectofassistedsuicide.Itcould
beinterpretedbyyoungadultsandolder,oranyonewhohasbattledaterminalillness.Thevideo
isonlyfourminuteslong,buttheemotionalconnectionmadestaysformuchlonger.Brittany
madethisvideotoshowthatherreasoningforchoosingtopasspeacefullyisntwronginher
eyes,andtomakeotherpeopleinherpositionrealizethatitsokaytochoosetheirownwayof
exitingthisworld.Thelanguageisamixtureofformalandinformal.Brittanyistalkingtothe
cameracalmlyasifshesspeakingtoafriend,whichmakesthelanguagenotasformaland
makestheviewermoretrustingofthemessage.However,onetypeofspecializedvocabulary

Runninghead:ASSISTEDSUICIDE

usedinthisvideoisinawrittenmessagethatpopsupbetweenspeakingthatdescribes
glioblastomamultiforme(KK,2014)asthemostaggressiveandlethalformofbraincancer.
Thisisappropriatetothepurposeofthisvideo,becauseitexplainstotheaudiencejusthow
seriousBrittanysconditionwas.ThefactthatthisisaYouTubevideoproducedbyarandom
accountnamedKKandthatitcutsoffattheendwhilethemotherisspeakingmakesthe
credibilitygodownabit.

Ethos
TheexcerptsinthevideothatexplaindifferentaspectsofBrittanysconditionhelpto
establishcredibility,however,theydontciteanyreferences.Sincethetestimonyforassisted
suicideiscomingdirectlyfromaterminallyillperson,thatestablishescredibility.Brittanystates
thatshewastoldshehadagradeIIastrocytoma(KK,2014),andbyusingthatlanguageit
showsthatsheknowsherdiagnosisandiseducatedonit.Whenshegoesontotalkabouther
tumorbecominggradeIV,heractualbrainscanisshownandthetumoriscircled,whichgives
credibility.However,theonlyweaknessinthecredibilityofthisvideoisthattheresno
physicianormedicalprofessionalspeakinginthisvideoonBrittanysbehalf.

Pathos
ThevideostartsoffwithBrittanyMaynardsaying,thethoughtsthatgothroughyour
mindwhenyoufindoutyouhavesolittletimeiseverythingthatyouneedtosaytoeveryone
thatyoulove(KK,2014),andisfollowedbypicturesofherrecentwedding.Thecausesthe
viewertofacethecoldharshrealitythatlifeisshort.Brittanyseemedregretfulbyhertoneand

Runninghead:ASSISTEDSUICIDE

facialexpressions,yetstillcalm.Byusingthesadmusicinthebackground,thevideoevokesan
empatheticresponseofsadness.Brittany,herhusband,andhermotherspeakcalmlyaboutthe
situation,buthearingBrittanysaythatshefoundoutabouthercancerwhilesheandherhusband
weretryingtocreateafamilyevokedstrongfeelingsofsorrow.Thevideosharespicturesof
happypartsofBrittanyslifeinordertomaketheviewermakeanemotionalconnectionwiththe
speaker.Theonlyweaknessofthisemotionalappealwasthatthespeakersweresocalm,but
thatsbecausetheyvealreadycometotermswiththesituation.

Logos
Theevidencesupportingtheseclaimsiswithinthemainspeakerherself.Shesliving
proofthatpeopleofallagescandevelopterminalillnessesandfacetheforkintheroadof
decidingtogopeacefullyorlettingtheirillnessdestroytheirdignityaswellastheirlife.
Brittanysmotherandhusbandarebothseeninthevideoadvocatingforherdecision,which
showsconsistencyinherstory.Brittanysreasoningforchoosingtopasspeacefully,ratherthan
lettingherbraincancerpainfullydestroyher,supportsthevideosappealofpositivereasoning
forassistedsuicide.Hertestimonymadetheappealverystrong.WhenBrittanyshowsthe
medicinebottleholdingtheprescriptionthatwillendherlifeandstatesthatitstherewhenshe
needsit(KK,2014),itshowstherealityofthesituation.Shethengoesontodiscusshowshell
besurroundedbyherimmediatefamilyandherbestfriendwhoisadoctor,whichshowsthat
shellhavesomeonewhoisaprofessionaltherebackingupherdecision.Shestatesthatshell
passpeacefullywithmusicinthebackground,whichcreatesamuchbettervisualthansomeone
painfullydyingofabraintumor.Brittanyshusbandstatesthatherbeingabletochoosebetween

Runninghead:ASSISTEDSUICIDE

sufferinganddecidingwhentogooffersalotofrelief,whichfurtheraddstotheconsistencyof
thestory.

Thisvideohadabigimpactonthediscourseofmytopicbecauseitevokedstrong
emotionsandisstillrelativelycurrent.IknewthebasicstoryoftheBrittanyMaynardsituation,
butthevideomademelearnmoreaboutherandmademefeelanemotionalconnectiontoher.
Becauseitevokedsuchstrongemotionswithinme,Ibelievethemessagewasveryeffective.
Priortothisvideo,Iwasneveragainstassistedsuicide,andBrittanyMaynardreinforcedthatfor
me.Theappealswerestrongduetoemotions,howeverIwishtherehadbeenaphysicianor
somecitedreferencestogivethevideomorecredibility.

Runninghead:ASSISTEDSUICIDE

REFERENCES
KK(2014,November3).
BrittanyMaynarddiesusingOregonsassistedsuicidelaw.

Retrievedfromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjq5Oddp5WY.