Your turn: The pursuit of right to Death with Dignity – The Deming Headlight

Diana Bell, For the Headlight Published 2:51 p.m. MT Jan. 14, 2021

Retro manual typewriter with printing hands and sheet of paper(Photo: vectorikart, Getty Images/iStockphoto)

As a retired physician, I have seen birth and I have seen death. The first is typically joyful and the latter is invariably sad. But death need not be a gut wrenching experience for an individual or his family.

A few years ago, my sons asked me to help them bring their dad home from the hospital to die. For nearly a year this good man had been struggling with pancreatic cancer. He fought to stay alive for much of that year, but now the end was near.

We brought him home and with the help of Hospice, he spent his final days surrounded by people who cared deeply for him. He was heavily sedated much of the time in an effort to manage pain. Unfortunately he had become quite tolerant to the effects of opioids after months of treatment. The Hospice nurses did what they could, but as the days passed, he spent his time either in pain or mentally absent.

A friend who had come to say goodbye reminded me that we consider euthanasia of animals who are sick and suffering and it was a pity that we couldnt extend this kindness to our fellow humans when they were dying. What made this more difficult was my ex-husbands stated plan to end his own life before he reached this point. Unfortunately, in the last few weeks, he became rapidly incapacitated and was unable to carry out this plan. He wanted it be over, but Death with Dignity was not a legal option in the state of New York where he lived and died.

And it is not legal in New Mexico either.

Perhaps you believe that it is up to God to determine the exact moment of death. That is your choice. But that is not my choice. When God has determined that my end is fast approaching and when I have received all that life offers, including the final lessons and the pain, I think I will be ready to move on.

Death with Dignity is legislation that allows certain terminally ill patients to legally and voluntarily hasten their deaths with the assistance of a physician and drugs. One fifth of the states in our country allow this. Physician aid in dying was legalized in these states through legislative action, judicial ruling or ballot initiatives. Seven in ten Americans believe that physician assisted suicide is a right that they should have according to the http://www.deathwithdignity.org website.

In Oregon, one of the first states to pass legislation to legalize this option, it is not widely used. Many people request assistance but do not use the drugs. In 2019 only 188 followed through to end their lives in this way. However, many drew comfort in knowing that this was an option.

On January 13, 2014, the New Mexico Second Judicial District ruled that physician-assisted dying is a right under the state Constitution, in the case Morris v. Brandenburg; however, this continued to be challenged and two and a half years later it was determined by the courts that the question should be determined by the state legislative and executive branches.

The day may come when you will opt for Death with Dignity. Make sure this is a right you can pursue in our state by contacting your state legislators today. A changes in policy doesnt happen unless we demand the change.

Diana Bell, MDis a resident of Deming, NM

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Your turn: The pursuit of right to Death with Dignity - The Deming Headlight