I thought Kathryn McKenzie’s article on death with dignity (A Good Day to Die) was spot on. It captured the benefits and the shortfalls of this new law, especially the anxiety and waiting involved with finding a physician willing to help. The people who really fall through the cracks are patients with Alzheimer’s. By the time their disease has progressed, they cannot express their will.
My mother was a vocal proponent of the right to die on one’s own terms. She was a member of the Hemlock Society and was very clear that she did not want to linger after life held no quality for her. However, linger she did, and we did our best to make her last months as comfortable and loving as possible. Instead of a last act of personal agency, the disease made the decision when to let her go. This article raised a lot of good questions. Thank you for sharing the story.
Rachel Anne Goodman
Bonny Doon
