MyLife,MyChoice1

KatelynKrueger

MohammadHaris
DillonWorley
PorterMorgan
SarahHall
English101068
April28th,2016

MyLife,MyChoice
Forquitesometimenow,aidindying,thepracticeinwhichaphysicianprovidesa
terminallyillpatientwithaprescriptionforalethaldoseofmedication,uponthepatient's
request,whichthepatientintendstousetoendhisorherownlife,hasbecomeamajordebatein
America.Thedebatecutsacrosscomplexanddynamicaspectsoftheissuesuchas,legal,
ethical,humanrights,health,religious,economic,spiritual,socialandculturalaspectsofour
society.Manywhoarefortherighttoaidindyingsaythatitshouldbeabasichumanrightto
havetheoptiontobeassistedindying.Thosewhoareopposedtothetopicfeelthatsome
patientsmaybepushedtoendtheirlifeduetothepressureofothers.
Ourgroupbecameinterestedinthistopicafterrealizingthatthetopicisbarelytalked
about,yetwefeelitisanimportantsubjectthatshouldbediscussed.Wearelookingatthetopic
onanationallevel,andafterdoingsomeresearch,webelievetherighttoaidindyingshouldbe
achoicethatmentallycompetent,terminallyillpatientsshouldbeabletoutilize.Ourpurposeis

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toinformandeducatethoselookingforalternativesindyingwiththeirillness.Wealsowantto
helpthemunderstandthebenefitstoPhysicianAssistedDeath.
CurrentlyintheUnitedStatesofAmericaonlyfivestateshavelegalizedtherighttoaid
indeath.ThosefivestatesincludeOregon,Washington,Vermont,Montana,andNewMexico.
Thelawinthesefivestatesisasfollows:Anycompetent,legalresidentofthestatethatisover
theageof18,withaterminalillness(definedasanestimatedlifeexpectancyof6monthsor
less)thathasbeenconfirmedbytwoindependentphysicians,andcanselfadministermedication,
maybeassistedbyaphysicianintheaidofdying.
TheUnitedStatesSupremeCourtallowseachstatetodecidewhetherornottherightto
dieshouldbelegalized.Thishascreatedaproblemforalotofterminallyillpatientsbecauseif
youarenotalegalresidentofoneofthefivestatesthatallowsaidindeath,thenyouhavetogo
throughpainandsufferinguntilyoueventuallydie.Onepatient,RobertMittonofDenver,
ColoradostatedIamfacingimminentdeath,whyarepeopleinMontanaandNewMexicoable
todiewithdignityandIamnot?Thisshouldbeabasichumanright(Eckholmpar.8).
Thispatientisbeingforcedtoliveinpainandsufferingbecauseitisagainstthelawforhimto
seekhelpinbringingabouthisowndeath.Thepatientsaidhewouldendhisownlifeonhis
termsifthelawsarenotchangedandheisntgiventheassistanceinendinghislife.The
measurespatientshavetotaketogetridoftheirpainissickeningbecausestatesarebanningthe
aidindeath.
Inordertounderstandtheproblem,wehavetostartfromthebottomandworkourway
up.MultiplefactorsplayaroleinaddingcontroversytoPhysicianAssistedDeath(PAD).It
asksthequestionwhatroledoesdeathplayinoursociety?Religionplaysadefinitefactorasdo

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thecircumstancesandsymptomsofthepatient.Thebiggestissueformost,however,isdeciding
howtodifferentiateastandardsuicidefromaphysicianassistedone.AnexcerptwrittenbyDrs.
RobertPearlmanandHeleneStarksstates,Popularexplanationsforphysicianassisteddeath
includeinadequatetreatmentforpainorothersymptoms,depression,hopelessness,and
socioeconomicstressors,suchasconcernsabouttheburdenofincreasingdependencyonother
membersofthefamilyandtheeconomichardshipassociatedwiththecostsofhealthcare(par.
2).
Thephysicalandemotionalailmentsthatcreateanunstableenvironmenttoliveinare
onlyasmallpartoftheproblemhowever.
TheDeclarationofIndependence
(US1776)declares
thatweaspeopleareentitledto,lifelibertyandthepursuitofhappyness.Thequestionthen
is:istherighttodiewithdignity,includedinourrighttolife?InanarticlewrittenbyPaul
Hsieh,heoutlinesreasonswhyPADshouldbelegalizedandhowourrightsshouldallowusthis.
Yourlifeisyourown(Hsiehpar.5).Ourlivesbelongtous.Somepeopleopposetheideaof
PADduetoreligiousreasons,whichiscompletelywithintheirrightshoweveritisntwithin
theirrightstodenyotherstherighttochosetodoso(Hsiehpar.89).
AsHsiehstatesinhisarticle,choosingtoprolongoneslifeaslongaspossibleisand
shouldcertainlybearightforallpeople.Ontheotherhand,thosewhodonotwishtocontinue,
thoseterminallyill,sufferingemotional,physicalandfinancialpainsshouldalsohavetheright
tochosenottoprolongtheirlife.Thereseemstobeamisconceptionthatwhen
physicianassisteddeathislegalized,suddenlyallpeoplewillbeeuthanized.When,inreality,
itsmerelyanotheroptionandanexpansionofrightsforall.

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Weliveinasocietywhereeveryonewantsthingsdonetheirway,butnobodyiswilling
tocompromisetoachieveanything.Theproblemwiththereligiousaspectofthedebateisnt
whetherpeoplesreligiousbeliefsshouldbeallowedtodictatethewaytheylivetheirlives,but
thattheirbeliefsshouldntdictatethewayotherslivetheirlives.Itsamazing.Peoplepander
formorerightsandthatcertainlawsshouldntbepassedbecausetheyrestricttheirreligious
freedoms,whenintherealitythelawstheysocraveunderminethewaywe,asAmericans,
understandfreedom.
WerecentlyhadthechancetositdownwithDr.NathanMorgananemployeewith
IntermountainHealthcare.Inourinterview,wediscussedpatientpain/discomfort,religionand
morals,thepriceofhealthcareandthepatientsmentalandemotionalhealth.Asadoctorwho
dealsprimarilywiththeelderlyDr.Morganbelievespatientpainanddiscomfortisoneofthe
leadingcausesofemotionaldistressintheelderly.Itsimportant,however,hesaid,thatthe
patientbeterminallyill,notjustdepressedorevensolelyinpaintoqualifyforphysicianassisted
death(Morgan).
ThemajorconcerninoureyesisanissuethatplaguestheUnitedStatesinmanyareas:
thecostofhealthcare.Astudypublishedby
ZaneBenefits.com
findsthemediancostofastayin
ahospitalforAmericans.Thestudyfindsthattheaveragehospitalstayisfivedaysandthe
average,outofpocket,costis$9,700,whileaddingthatthepricevariestremendously
dependingonthereasonforvisitandinsurancecoverage("HealthcareInfographicpar.24).
Tobediagnosedasterminallyillapatientmusthavealifeexpectancyofsixmonthsor
less.Factoringconservativelyusing$9,700forfivedaysasabase,ourestimationofasixmonth
hospitalstayis$329,800,afterinsurance.Accordingtoatableby
KFF.org
theaveragemedian

MyLife,MyChoice5
annualhouseholdincomeis$53,657(MedianIncome).Thismeansitwouldtaketheaverage
Americanfamily,payingforliterallynootherexpenses,morethansixyearstopayoffthe
medicalbill.Ontheotherhand,sourcesat
ProCon.org
quotethepriceofdrugsusedforPAD
costbetween$75and$100(Hamlon2).Formany,thehardshipofpayingsuchatremendous
billandtheknowledgethatherfamilywillbeleftwithagreatdealofdebt,canleadtomultiple
emotionalstruggles.Ifpeoplearenotallowedtodiewithdignity,thentheymust,atthevery
least,beallowedtolivewithoutfearofacripplingfinancialfuture.
Physicianassisteddeathisadebatethatwillcontinuetogoonforyears.Unfortunately
though,therearesomecaseswherePADdidnotwork.Accordingtothe
NewEnglandJournal
Medicine
,therehavebeensevencomplicatedcasesregardingeuthanasia.Whentheinjectionwas
giventothepatient,thepatientfailedtogointoacoma,andin16percentofthecasesthishas
happened(Groenewoudpar2&3).Otherproblemscanincludetakingthedrug,failureofthe
drugstoinduceunconsciousness,andcausingseveralpainfuldaysuntildeath.Dr.Katherina,
whowroteforOregonstworeportsonPAD,deniesthatthereisanycomplicationinPAD
(Groenewoudpar4).
OnecasewasthatofGeorgeandBettyCuombia.Georgewasterminallyillwithheart
diseaseandhiswifeBettywantedtoendherlifewithhimatthesametime.Bettywanteda
physiciantohelpcarryoutherplan.BettysofferwasturneddownbecausePADisillegalin
Canada.In2009,Bettyunfortunatelydevelopedcancer,anddied.WhileGeorgecarriedtolive
on(Muranopar9).
Therehavebeenmanycases,however,wheretheindividualswereabletoproceedwith
PhysicianAssistedDeath.Onecaseinparticulartookthemediabystorm.BrittanyMaynard,a

MyLife,MyChoice6
29yearoldwomanfromSanFrancisco,wasdiagnosedwithstage4glioblastoma,amalignant
braintumor.Herdoctorstoldhershewouldonlyhave6monthstolive.Inaninterviewwith
PeopleMagazine
,shesaid,"Myglioblastomaisgoingtokillme,andthat'soutofmycontrol,
IvediscussedwithmanyexpertshowIwoulddiefromit,andit'saterrible,terriblewaytodie.
Beingabletochoosetogowithdignityislessterrifying."(Eganpar.7)Unfortunately,Brittany
livedinSanFranciscoatthetimeandwasdeniedtheopportunitytouseeuthanasiabecausethe
lawhasnotbeenpassedthere.Givennootheroptions,shemovedtoOregonwithherhusband
andmothersoshecouldhaveaccesstoOregon'sDeathwithDignityAct.Aftergoingthrough
theprocessofwantingtodiewithdignity,sherealizedthatitsactuallyreallyhardtodo.Most
statesdonthavethelawpassed,makingitharderforanyonetohaveaccess.Shebegan
campaigningwiththenonprofitCompassion&Choices,anendoflifechoiceadvocacy
organization,tofightforexpandingDeathwithDignitylawsnationwide.Afterreceivingsome
backlashonherdecision,shesaid,"Ibelievethischoiceisethical,andwhatmakesitethicalisit
isachoice,thepatientcanchangetheirmindrightuptothelastminute.Ifeelveryprotected
hereinOregon."(Eganpar.21)BrittanychosetodieinherhomeonNovember1stbesideher
mother,stepfather,husband,andbestfriend,whoisalsothephysicianwhogaveherthe
euthanasia.

AnothersuccessfulcaseisthatofEthanRemmel,a41yearoldfather,developmental
psychologist,andassociateprofessoratWesternWashingtonUniversity.Ethanwasdiagnosed
withstage4coloncancerandwastoldthathislifeexpectancywas2years.Inhisblogforthe
site,
PsychologyToday
,hewroteabouthisjourneyandwentovervariousoptionsofhowtogo
aboutlivingthesenexttwoyears.IntheblogpostsyoucanseeEthangoingbackandforthon

MyLife,MyChoice7
whattodo.Ultimately,asthetimegoeson,hedecidestodiewithdignity.Hetookthelethal
drugsinhishomeamongfamilyanddiedonJune13,2011.Onethinghesaysis,Idonotview
itas"suicide"(althoughthatisaconvenientterm),becauseIwouldnotreallybechoosing
betweenlivinganddying.Iwouldbechoosingbetweendifferentwaysofdying.Ifsomeone
wishestodenymethatchoice,itsoundstomeliketheyaresaying:Iamwillingtoriskthatyour
deathwillbeslowandpainful.(Remmel)
Thereisahugeproblemwhenitcomesdowntotryingtofindasolutionoralternativeto
euthanasia.Theonlyrealsolutionisthatitshouldbethechoiceofwhoeveritaffects.Somemay
argue,however,thatcertainfactorsarepresentwhentryingtofindasolution,suchas,doesthe
personsufferfromdepression,howbadistheircondition,oriftheyareallaloneinlifedothey
evenwanttolive?Thatbringsupthe,Alternatives,toeuthanizingsomeone.
Oneofthemostcommonproblemsamongpatientswhowouldliketobeeuthanizedis
theunbearableamountofpaintheyareenduring.Thoughmostpatientsareabletobetreatedto
helpkeepthepaindowntoaminimal,theyareconstantlyinadruggedstatesaysthewriterfor
thereasonsforeuthanasia.Hethencontinuestosaythatpeopleneedtobefreedfromthis
druggedstateandthatitisnotadignifiedwayofliving,sotheyeuthanizethem.Thoughthis
writerdoesnoteventakenoteofthosewhoareinseverepainandareterminallyill.Wearenot
sayingthatweshouldeuthanizeeverypatientwhocomesindealingwithapainfulmigraineor
severecold,onlythatweacceptthefactthatotherpeople`schoicesshouldplayafactorin
decisionmaking.Especiallywhenthedecisionistheirownlife.
Nowwhatifweweretoexamineapatientdealingwithdepression?Whatwouldwedo
otherthantoletthemdecidetotaketheirownlives?Now,nopersonunderanymeansshouldbe

MyLife,MyChoice8
abletobeassistedindeathwitheuthanasiaifitispurelyameanstoescapetheirdepression.Our
grouphasdevisedafewrequirementsthatmustbemetinordertoreceivetheprocedure,oneof
thembeingthatapsychologicalscreeningshouldbeoneofthetopconcernswhendealingwitha
terminallyillpatienttodeterminewhetherornottheyqualifyfortheprocedure.
Themorethatwehavereadintoarticlesthemorewasrealizedpeopledonottruly
understandwhatthisprocedureisusedfor,whichistohelpsomeoneinpainwhochoosesthey
wouldnotliketogoon.Thearticle,withanunknownauthor,from
ReasonsforEuthanasia
,
says,euthanasiaisnotabouttherighttodie.It`sabouttherighttokill.Euthanasiaisnotabout
givingrightstothepersonwhodiesbut,instead,isaboutchangingthelawandpublicpolicyso
thatdoctors,relativesandotherscandirectlyandintentionallyendanotherperson'slife.Ihave
cometorealizethatmostpeoplearemakingeuthanizingouttobeallabouttherightto
intentionallymurdersomeone.
VeryfewstateshavepassedalawallowingterminallyillpatientstoseekPAD,andthose
thathavesharesomeofthesamerulesthatwehadcomeupwith.Wedeterminedfirstofallthat
apatientmustbeatleasttheageofeighteenoroldertomakethedecision,andtoaddtothat,
theymustalsobediagnosedwithterminalillness,asixmonthslifeexpectancyorless.A
requirementofatleasttwophysicianssignaturesstatingthepatient'slifeexpectancyisthatofsix
monthsorless.Finally,thepatientmustpassapsychologicalassessmentwithatherapistto
determineiftheyareintherightmindtobemakingsuchadecision.
Thestatescurrentlyallowingthisprocedureinclude,Oregon,Montana,Vermont,and
WashingtonandNewMexico.Notjustanyonecanbeadministeredtheshot,theymustmeet
certainrequirements.InWashingtonthereisanactinplacecalledtheWashingtonRev.Code

MyLife,MyChoice9
Ann,Thisactallowsterminallyilladultsseekingtoendtheirlifetorequestlethaldosesof
medicationfrommedicalandosteopathicphysicians.Theseterminallyillpatientsmustbe
Washingtonresidentswhohavelessthansixmonthstolive.(Humphrypar.2)Washingtonwas
thesecondstatetolegalizePAD.In2008Seattleheldanelectiontodeterminethenewlaws
passing.Closetosixtypercentofthecityvotedtopassassistedsuicide.
InMontana,thelawwasonlypassedafter,RobertBaxter,a76yearoldtruckdriver
fromBillingsdyingoflymphocyticleukemia,(GuidetoPhysicianAssistedSuicide,page4.)
wenttothecourtrequestingthathebegrantedtheaidinlethalinjection.Thelawwasthen
passedsothatRobert,andotherslikehim,couldbeassistedinthecircumstancesofterminal
illness.Theideawasthatthephysicianwouldacquirethedrugsneededfortheprocedure,then
thepatientwouldadministerthemedicationwhentheywereready.
Alsomuchlikewhatwehadpredeterminedbeforeresearch,isthelawinthestateof
Vermont,stating,patientswhohavebeendiagnosedbytwodoctorsashavingsixmonthsor
lesstolivetorequestadoctorassisteddeath.(Humphrypar.7)InthestateofOregon,the
legalizationofPADhasbeeninordersince1994,andthroughtheact,overthreehundred
patientswhoweredeterminedterminallyillhavebeenabletousethedrug.
Theallowanceofaphysicianassisteddeathisoneofthebetterpartsofasociety,
assumingdeathisfortherightreasonsanddoneasprocedurecalls,foritallowsaperson
sufferingtobeabletoenditwhentheyvirtuallyhavenofightleftinthem.Whoareweas
peopletosaywhocanandcannotdiewhentheyareterminallyill,thatwemakethecallontheir
lives.Ofcourseitiseasytosay,Itcanbetreated,or,Theyhavemedicationtorelievethe
pain.However,itisnotourchoicetosaysomeoneshouldhavetogothroughallthat.

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Itisbecomingaboutthefactthatdoctors,friends,orfamilycouldmakeachoiceto
intentionallykillsomeonebecausetheycan.Noindicationofaperson'spersonalsufferingis
takenintoaccountwhentheyaretalkingabouttheissue.Thetrueproblemispeople,notthatone
personisendinganotherperson'slifeforsport,butthefactthattheyaretryingtodecidewhatis
bestforarelative,friend,oranyonewhoisinpainandwouldliketodowhattheybelieveisbest
forthem.Thatweshouldrelycompletelyondoctorstrainingandthattheycanbereducedtothe
pain,butforhowlong?
Throughtheresearchwehavecompiled,wehavediscoveredhowlittletheprocedureof
PADisactuallyknown.Ourmaingoalistoinformouraudiencesaboutwhateuthanasiareallyis
andthestepstakentoqualifyforit.Wewentthroughtheprocessofcreatingaflyerwith
informationforpeopletoinquireonourwebsite.Therewehaveinformationonthetopic,stories
ofpatientswhobothreceivedandweredeniedtheprocedure,andasectionwherevisitorscan
emailusquestionstheymaywantanswered.

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