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Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her life

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'Brittany Maynard, 29, who revived a national debate about physician-assisted suicide, ended her life by swallowing lethal drugs made available under Oregon law.'



Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her life in Oregon | National Post


Thank goodness there is at least some place this woman could go to die with dignity.

I watched my Mother die a miserable death from cancer, I would not wish that on anyone.

It is absolutely ridiculous that sane adults cannot legally end their lives whenever they choose.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

'Brittany Maynard, 29, who revived a national debate about physician-assisted suicide, ended her life by swallowing lethal drugs made available under Oregon law.'



Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her life in Oregon | National Post


Thank goodness there is at least some place this woman could go to die with dignity.

I watched my Mother die a miserable death from cancer, I would not wish that on anyone.

It is absolutely ridiculous that sane adults cannot legally end their lives whenever they choose.


A bullet or noose would likely have been cheaper. If sane adults cannot get heroin then why should they be able to get other lethal drug cocktails?
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

A bullet or noose would likely have been cheaper. If sane adults cannot get heroin then why should they be able to get other lethal drug cocktails?

Imo, sane adults should be able to buy and ingest any drug they want (and can afford) - including heroin.

It should be none of the state's business what I put into my body, provided it hurts no one else directly.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

Imo, sane adults should be able to buy and ingest any drug they want (and can afford) - including heroin.

It should be none of the state's business what I put into my body, provided it hurts no one else directly.

The "and can afford" part is my main concern - otherwise, I would fully expect that we the sheeple will soon have to provide "access" to that "right" for "the poor". ;)
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

'Brittany Maynard, 29, who revived a national debate about physician-assisted suicide, ended her life by swallowing lethal drugs made available under Oregon law.'



Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her life in Oregon | National Post


Thank goodness there is at least some place this woman could go to die with dignity.

I watched my Mother die a miserable death from cancer, I would not wish that on anyone.

It is absolutely ridiculous that sane adults cannot legally end their lives whenever they choose.
Like most things, this is a rights issue. Those who want to champion rights, and in this case, the right to life, have to defend her decision wholeheartedly. A right to life is the right to live ones own life as he sees fit and to seek ones own level of happiness. If your mind and your body are yours, by right, then they are yours to end as much as they are yours to enjoy.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

I think its a very flawed comparison to make between physician assisted suicide and something like heroine abuse. The choice to end ones life in the final stages of a disease like cancer is nothing at all comparable to a heroine junkie over dosing.

Anyone that has ever watched anyone have to die of cancer, particularly an abdominal cancer, knows that its the worst way imaginable to go. I think its unconscionable that in the majority of states a person is legally mandated to endure the pain and suffering of the final weeks of cancer regardless of how painful it is.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

Physician assisted suicide? Kind of goes against the Physician's Oath

The Declaration of Geneva, as currently published by the WMA [6] reads:
At the time of being admitted as a member of the medical profession:
I solemnly pledge to consecrate my life to the service of humanity;
I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude that is their due;
I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity;
The health of my patient will be my first consideration;
I will respect the secrets that are confided in me, even after the patient has died;
I will maintain by all the means in my power, the honour and the noble traditions of the medical profession;
My colleagues will be my sisters and brothers;
I will not permit considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient;
I will maintain the utmost respect for human life;
I will not use my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat;
I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honour.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

i support what she did. mostly, though, i just feel sad that she had to make that decision in the first place. she was just a 29 year old kid. cancer sucks.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

Physician assisted suicide? Kind of goes against the Physician's Oath

I don't see how?

The Declaration of Geneva, as currently published by the WMA [6] reads:
At the time of being admitted as a member of the medical profession:
I solemnly pledge to consecrate my life to the service of humanity;
I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude that is their due;
I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity;
The health of my patient will be my first consideration;

How healthy is a person in so much pain they would rather end their life now than go on for another couple weeks? Mental health is just as important as physical and one should not be sacrificed for the other.

I will respect the secrets that are confided in me, even after the patient has died;
I will maintain by all the means in my power, the honour and the noble traditions of the medical profession;
My colleagues will be my sisters and brothers;
I will not permit considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient;
I will maintain the utmost respect for human life;

If you have respect for human life, how could you allow someone to suffer in inescapable misery when their pain could be ended by their choice?

I will not use my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat;
I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honour.

Seems it should be up to the patient to discern what their rights and liberties are considering their own body.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

Physician assisted suicide? Kind of goes against the Physician's Oath

The Declaration of Geneva, as currently published by the WMA [6] reads:
At the time of being admitted as a member of the medical profession:
I solemnly pledge to consecrate my life to the service of humanity;
I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude that is their due;
I will practice my profession with conscience and dignity;
The health of my patient will be my first consideration;
I will respect the secrets that are confided in me, even after the patient has died;
I will maintain by all the means in my power, the honour and the noble traditions of the medical profession;
My colleagues will be my sisters and brothers;
I will not permit considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient;
I will maintain the utmost respect for human life;
I will not use my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat;
I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honour.

So you believe that an individual should never be able to end their life under the consultation and supervision of their physicians no matter how sick they are and no matter how horrible the last few weeks of their life will be?

Do you know how many people actually die of cancer? Let's say a woman gets diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer or stage 4 endometrial cancer, do you how know she will actually die?

That woman will starve to death. As the cancer metastasizes throughout the body, the abdomen fills with a cancerous fluid, the fluid then puts so much pressure on the digestive organs that any food ingested is promptly thrown up. At this point you start to slowly starve to death. As more of the cancerous fluid is produced, the abdomen visibly distends to the point that it appears as though the person is pregnant. Usually by now they are throwing up dozens of times a day a vile cancerous fluid. Sometimes even small sips of water can't be kept down, and the only thing morphine does is help you to sleep through some of the day. This constitutes the last few weeks of your life. You are in constant pain, your organs are slowly failing, you throw up dozens of times a day, you cannot eat anything without throwing it up, all you can do is suck on ice cubes and pray that you will soon die.... It is the worst death imaginable, it makes crucifixion look like a cake walk.

So you think that individual should be forced to simply endure it rather than with the assistance of their physician, ending their life 2 to 4 weeks before they would have met such an end?
 
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Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

Think what really sucks is that someone had to go through such a difficult ordeal with the entire world watching it under a microscope. Kind of overtly morbid in my opinion. I get the debate on the end of life decisions but she did it somewhere where its legal so not sure I'm quite on board with the whole "Lets make her the poster child for the cause" band wagon.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

So you believe that an individual should never be able to end their life under the consultation and supervision of their physicians no matter how sick they are and no matter how horrible the last few weeks of their life will be?

Do you know how many people actually die of cancer? Let's say a woman gets diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer or stage 4 endometrial cancer, do you how know she will actually die?

That woman will starve to death. As the cancer metastasizes throughout the body, the abdomen fills with a cancerous fluid, the fluid then puts so much pressure on the digestive organs that any food ingested is promptly thrown up. At this point you start to slowly starve to death. As more of the cancerous fluid is produced, the abdomen visibly distends to the point that it appears as though the person is pregnant. Usually by now they are throwing up dozens of times a day a vile cancerous fluid. Sometimes even small sips of water can't be kept down, and the only thing morphine does is help you to sleep through some of the day. This constitutes the last few weeks of your life. You are in constant pain, your organs are slowly failing, you throw up dozens of times a day, you cannot eat anything without throwing it up, all you can do is suck on ice cubes and pray that you will soon die.... It is the worst death imaginable, it makes crucifixion look like a cake walk.

So you think that individual should be forced to simply endure it rather than with the assistance of their physician, ending their life 2 to 4 weeks before they would have met such an end?

He is scared of Obama's death panels.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

A bullet or noose would likely have been cheaper. If sane adults cannot get heroin then why should they be able to get other lethal drug cocktails?

Bullet or noose? Little barbaric don't you think?
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

Imo, sane adults should be able to buy and ingest any drug they want (and can afford) - including heroin.

It should be none of the state's business what I put into my body, provided it hurts no one else directly.

Ever met a heroin addict? Ever seen what they will do to get their fix?
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

He is scared of Obama's death panels.

What is disgusting is the whole right wing myth of "death panels" arose from a stipulation in health reform that would have reimbursed doctors for the time they spent with patients discussing end of life decisions.

Just the same, telling someone with late stage 4 cancer that they must die "naturally" regardless of how horrible of a death that will be, is a perfect example of socially conservative authoritarianism.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

Think what really sucks is that someone had to go through such a difficult ordeal with the entire world watching it under a microscope. Kind of overtly morbid in my opinion. I get the debate on the end of life decisions but she did it somewhere where its legal so not sure I'm quite on board with the whole "Lets make her the poster child for the cause" band wagon.

You realize she had to move to a different state so that she could do it where it was legal.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

Bullet or noose? Little barbaric don't you think?

The end result is the same.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

You realize she had to move to a different state so that she could do it where it was legal.

Aware of it.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

Aware of it.

So the fact that someone that was terminally ill had to pick up and move their family to a different state just so they could die with dignity does not in your opinion make them "a poster child for the cause"?
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

It isn't assisted suicide in a case like this that makes people so uncomfortable. It's the Pandora's Box it opens in the process.

Where's the line? Terminal conditions only? Define terminal in terms of time (we're all terminal eventually). What about someone who survives a stroke but is incapacitated in some fashion. What about someone with severe multiple sclerosis? What about someone with early dementia? Someone paralyzed or who lost limbs?

Bottom line is, there's no one stopping most anyone from ending their own life if that is what they want to do.

It's an awfully difficult thing to imagine from any angle.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

Its mind boggling to think that a person cannot end their own life if they choose. Are there really people out there who want to force people to stay alive who are suffering? I understand a family member or close friend may want to encourage her to keep fighting, or don't want to lose someone they love. But at the same time I am sure those same people respect her wishes and are glad to see her in peace. Its her life, her decision. The rest of the world has no place to tell her she can't die.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

It isn't assisted suicide in a case like this that makes people so uncomfortable. It's the Pandora's Box it opens in the process.

Where's the line? Terminal conditions only? Define terminal in terms of time (we're all terminal eventually). What about someone who survives a stroke but is incapacitated in some fashion. What about someone with severe multiple sclerosis? What about someone with early dementia? Someone paralyzed or who lost limbs?

Bottom line is, there's no one stopping most anyone from ending their own life if that is what they want to do.

It's an awfully difficult thing to imagine from any angle.

Simply put, anyone who wants to die should be able to.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

So the fact that someone that was terminally ill had to pick up and move their family to a different state just so they could die with dignity does not in your opinion make them "a poster child for the cause"?

Let me start this off with this, I support these laws. I'm 100% ok with someone having this option. And I do have problem with anyone being made a "poster child" for this issue.

Frankly and in my opinion, don't necessarily think this is an issue that should be an "activist" issue. You can see this getting bastardized already with catch phrase being used..."die with dignity." WTF does that even mean? So someone who does not utilize this route is "undignified" or has lost their dignity? Whether its their faith, wanting to hold every second they have left to be with their family, etc?

Call it what it is and leave it at that. Its medically assisted suicide. If you have to rebrand it to sell it, you haven't worked hard enough to convince people on it's merits.
 
Re: Brittany Maynard, 29-year-old right-to-die advocate with brain cancer, ends her l

Simply put, anyone who wants to die should be able to.

And they can. Happens all the time.
 
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