In exactly 9 days (November 1, 2014) a young and beautiful 29-year-old woman is committed to killing herself by taking a handful of pills. This woman’s name is Brittany Maynard. She is married and has led a very active life. In fact, she has run half marathons, traveled extensively and even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro (the largest free-standing mountain in the world). A year ago she and her husband were trying to get pregnant so they could start a family. However, on January 1, 2014, she was diagnosed with stage 2 glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor. They operated and removed the tumor. In April, the doctors discovered that the tumor returned, only now it was stage 4. She was given 6 months to live.
http://www.people.com/article/Brittany-Maynard-death-with-dignity-compassion-choices (People article)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy6QJsV60_k (CBS video of Brittany)
Pro: This form of cancer is very aggressive and attacks the brain. As predicted, she is already experiencing severe migraines, seizures, vomiting…she still has some good days and some bad days, but the good days are dwindling. She knows what’s coming next and it isn’t pretty. Her mind will soon be unable to tell her body what to do and she will quickly lose the ability to move her limbs, control her bowels and eventually breathe. It is an awful way to die and there is no cure. Her choice is to live out her good days to the fullest and die with dignity. When she is asked if she is comfortable with suicide, her response is, “There is not a cell in my body that is suicidal or that wants to die. I want to live. I wish there was a cure for my disease but there’s not.” She continues, “My glioblastoma is going to kill me, and that’s out of my control,” she says. “I’ve discussed with many experts how I would die from it, and it’s a terrible, terrible way to die. Being able to choose to go with dignity is less terrifying.”
Con: There are several arguments against “euthanasia” or “death with dignity.” There are those who believe this is a slippery slope. If “suicide” becomes an acceptable end of life option, this could lead to abuse or pressure on loved-ones to take this option. For example, an older adult in a family might feel an obligation to take this option and save loved ones extra stress, money and time. It is also feared that insurance companies might incentivize this option for people dealing with chronic illness. Another objection comes from biblical principles. Many say, “God has a plan and humans should not deviate from this plan for convenience-sake.” There might be late-life lessons to be learned or the illness might be instructive to relatives or friends. For example, a person’s fight might serve as inspiration for someone who is witness to this struggle and then go on to achieve far greater feats with his/her life. Finally, physicians take a Hippocratic Oath, stating that they will do everything possible to keep a patient alive and that they will, “do no harm.”
Author’s Perspective #1 – Libertarian Perspective: Sometimes I reserve judgment and let the students decide on their own. Other times, I have strong opinions and wage on one side. In this case, I choose the latter. I believe that as humans we have certain rights and that medicine and/or government should stay out of it. I believe that we all have the right to make certain choices and how we choose to die should be among them. I would hate to have someone or some system tell me that I don’t have that right. I have the right to die for my country and protest my country, and I should have the right to choose how and when I die. And… so should you.
Author’s Perspective #2: – It’s a moot point: Whether or not you, I or the law agrees, everyone has the choice to end their own life. While doctors and law enforcement agencies have a legal right to try to stop anyone from doing so, almost everyone will have the freedom to make that choice for themselves. People have done so, are doing so and will continue to do so. It’s difficult to stop a motivated person with a plan.
Author’s Perspective #3 – A Loving God: I understand that there are those who believe in God’s plan. I get it and I respect it. I, however, choose to believe in a God that would not want individuals to suffer needlessly at the end of their lives. I choose to believe in a God who would understand a person’s difficult choice at the end of his/her life.
Author’s Perspective #4 – It’s the Humane Thing to Do: Many times a day, veterinarians tell pet owners, “Your dog/cat/rabbit… is suffering. Please find the courage and strength to put your animal down. Don’t make them go through the pain that is upcoming. It is the humane thing to do.” If it’s humane to end the suffering of a pet when faced with chronic pain, isn’t it equally humane to end the suffering of a human?
Your Turn: Please place your comments below, (2) like and share our Facebook page (character development & leadership) or (3) tweet to @CDandLeadership)
1. Do you believe that Brittany has the right to die on her own terms or do you think she should allow life to play out as it was intended? Why or why not?
2. Do you believe that government, doctors or other entities have the ethical right to stop Brittany and other terminal patients from ending their lives prematurely? Why or why not?
3. Is it morally wrong to “play God?” Why or why not?
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Suicide should never be the answer. If someone shows signs, don’t ignore it, try helping them. Not only it prevents it, but that person knows that you care about them.
1.I think Brittany has the choice to do whatever she wants to do. It’s her life, and she can do whatever she wants to do with it. Suicide is never the answer, but it could be the best choice for her.
2. No because it’s their life. They can do whatever they want to with their life.
3. Yes it is morally wrong. Because nobody should ever play God. God is the only one who can judge people. He has the say so to everything.
1. Yes it is Brittany’s live she can do whatever she wants to do with it. Suicide isn’t the best choice though.
2. It is their live but it is only right to at least try and help instead of feeling like you did nothing to help. You may feel like that either way though.
3. Nobody should ever play God. God is the only one who can judge people. He has the say so to everything. That is true yes but since she chose suicide over following God’s plan she is in a worse place than she was when she was alive. It hurts much more in Hell than it does in this world.
For the most part I wanna say I agree with you 🙂
i feel like alot of people that feel that way have friends that be like its okay or your going to be fine when deep down there hurting and they just want somebody to hear them. so if you hear somebody say that i want to hurt myself tell somebody
I believe Brittany should have the right to die on her own terms. Reiterating what the above comments said, it should be a choice a person should be able to make. Not any doctor, government, or family member should be able to tell me when i can or cannot die. But i also feel like you should not be able to kill yourself because of depression or dramatic experiences. I think that it should be a last resort only for the mentally ill or terminally ill. I for one, would not like to live through not having any brain function or to willow away in a hospital bed for the rest of my life. There is more to life and life is such a beautiful thing. But when you cannot enjoy life anymore, what is your purpose?
I am going with #4 because when you have a animal that got hit by a car and can not walk or eat then the best thing you would do is put it down if I was that dog I would not want to live like that so I would tell my parents to put me down. I think it should be the way you want to do it. If you want to live in pain then go ahead but I want to live peacefully so then that is what you are going to do.
I think that you should have the choice to die. That would be bad someone telling you cant die the way you wanted. I would like to die around my family that’s just me it might not be the same for the next guy just my choice. I fully believe in god so whatever plan he has for me I will take it and take the most out of it I can. I think that it is the humane thing to do if you are suffering from lets say muscular dystrophy. You might want to die early to stop the pain and suffering. Others might want to see how it played out. Its all in a choice your choice. That is what I think about her dying.
I think that she has the right to end her life if that is the choice she wants. She is fully aware of what is going to happen. Everyone has been saying “God has a plan” but she also has a plan and she is the one that will be making the decision. I have always wondered what the right call is when you have others trying to stop you. It will be hard for them to accept that you are gone but yet they are not the ones having to deal with the disease. I think Brittany has the right to end her pain and suffering whenever the time is right for her and her family.
I think that it is her choice on when she wants to die. If you think about it watching someone suffering is a hard thing to do especially when it’s a family member. Its hard enough watching a dog suffer , i couldn’t even do that. some questions to keep in your head would be would this day kill them? Would this day make them so weak you have to do everything for them? would they even have any comprehension on what you did that day? would they even know who you are? most important would that day kill them? Just keep those in your mind …….. that’s just my opinion.
suicide is never a good answer.if someone shows signs,don’t just sit there get some help and help that family member so they can get better,
I say “Suicide is never the best choice live with dignity because life is gods blessing no matter how short or painful it is so #3 is my choice in another way so please have Brittany know their are others that see past the sorrow to find the true beauty in life and all that happens and this is me and my mom in my online video to say I was like her till I found my saying. So go a head and click to see me and hear my voice”
In my opinion i believe that she had the right to die if she is in truly that much pain and just wants to be put out of her misery then that is her choice. I don’t think any of us know what we would really choose until we are in that situation and that type of pain.
If she wants to take her own life its her choice. Although I don’t technically agree with the whole suicide thing, because she has a family. Wouldn’t you want to spend your last months being with your family and cherishing every moment with them.If you know your gonna die soon I would want to spend every waking moment with the ones I love. Therefore like i said its her choice , but its not a very good one if she chooses suicide.
I think Brittany has the right t odie if she wants to. Having cancer is really tough and i don’t think people should make her suffer through it. If she does not want to live with it anymore, then she shouldn’t have to. Ya she has people that lover her but if she wants to die then that’s totally her choice. People shouldn’t tell whether or not to live or die, that should be her decision only.
Its her choice she may not be happy with her life, thats why she wants to leave.
No I don’t think so, if she wants to leave let her. If you try to give her help and she doesn’t want it/ take it then leave it alone, like you tried at least. You may love them and don’t want them to go but do whats best for them as in let them do what they think is best.
It’s her choice to leave, if she is unhappy she should leave.
No, if she wants to leave let her. It’s what will be best for her.
It’s her choice to leave, if she is unhappy she should leave.
No, if she wants to leave let her. It’s her decision.
It’s her choice to leave, if she is mad she should leave.
No, if she wants to leave let her. It’s her decision.
1. In my opinion i think she should play it out and let god decide when she dies because it’s god’s plan.
2. Yes i think they should have the right to stop her because it would hurt the family.
3. i think it is wrong to “play god” because god always has a plan for you.
1. I dont think anyone should end their own life because of a disease. You should live the rest of what you got in joy and spend it with who you love.
2. I think that health care professionals should stop any of the suicidal actions of anyone beause that brings more stree on the family and the patient.
3. Yes i believe it is wrong to play God because God is who put you on this earth and he should be the one to take you out.
I think Brittany has the right to end her life but I think she should tell her family and let them know and see what they have to say about it. I don’t think the doctors should be able to tell you you can’t end your life if you want to. That is not their decision and they don’t know what you are going through. I don’t think it is necessarily right to play God but if you are going through to much pain to keep going on then I think you can.
I think she should not end her life, and the doctors really don’t tell you what to do. you make you choose if you want to do it or not.
1. I don’t think anyone should end their own life because of a disease. You should live the rest of what you got in joy and spend it with who you love.
2. I think that health care professionals should stop any of the suicidal actions of anyone because that brings more stress to the family and the patient.
3. Yes, I believe it is wrong to play God because God is who put you on this earth and he should be the one to take you out.
I think that you should have the choice to die. That would be bad someone telling you cant die the way you wanted. I would like to die around my family that’s just me it might not be the same for the next guy just my choice. I fully believe in god so whatever plan he has for me I will take it and take the most out of it I can. I think that it is the humane thing to do if you are suffering from lets say muscular dystrophy. You might want to die early to stop the pain and suffering. Others might want to see how it played out. Its all in a choice your choice. That is what I think about her dying.
1. no you she should have let the tumor run its cores.
2. you should never end your own life.
3. yes it is wrong god always has a plan.
1. In life you have choices to make. You can either live or die and I don’t think she should have made that choice to die with dignity. If you’re thinking about committing suicide that’s a bad choice and she might go to hell for that.
2. Yes because they want their patients to live their life to the fullest
3. Its wrong to play god because he died for all of us and he has a plan for all of us
1. I dont think anyone should end their own life because of a disease. You should live the rest of what you got in joy and spend it with who you love.
2. I think that health care professionals should stop any of the suicidal actions of anyone beause that brings more stree on the family and the patient.
3. Yes i believe it is wrong to play God because God is who put you on this earth and he should be the one to take you out.
honestly to me, suicide should never be the solution to any problem.
2.) yes i do, especially knowing that’s honestly apart of their jobs is protecting children and keeping them safe and unharmed.
3.) i do think it is wrong to “play god” considering he’s the reason you’re here on earth, you should respect him for it at least.
She does have a right if she has morally convinced herself that is the best decision. It may also be wrong, because there could be serious mistakes in her diagnosis or it may take a turn in a positive direction.
They do no somewhat have the right. They can convince someone that their life is worth a couple of more months, but the final decision is up to them.
It is wrong because every decision cannot be mimicked. There are so many risks associated with guiding someone in life and making very important decisions.
1.I think Brittany has the choice to do whatever she wants to do. It’s her life, and she can do whatever she wants to do with it. Suicide is never the answer, but it could be the best choice for her and her illness.
2. No, because it’s their own life. They can do whatever they want to do with their life and no one can change their mind.
3. Yes it is wrong. Because nobody should ever play with god. God is the only person who can judge people. He has the say about everything.
If she wants to take her own life its her choice. Although I don’t technically agree with the whole suicide thing, because she has a family. Wouldn’t you want to spend your last months being with your family and cherishing every moment with them.If you know your gonna die soon I would want to spend every waking moment with the ones I love. Therefore like i said its her choice , but its not a very good one if she chooses suicide.
No, she should do whatever she wants
No, it’s her own life
Yes, it was wrong
I think that this is her life and she should be able to do what she wants with it. Someone should be able to make the choice whether they want to die uncomfortably, miserably, and in pain. Even if people have different opinions, respecting other’s choices is important.
Suicide shouldn’t be the answer alot of people do it these days why not do what she loves before she dies i dont think its right that she is gonna kill herself that way she could miss something who knows miracles happen every day!
I believe Brittany should have the right to die on her own terms. Reiterating what the above comments said, it should be a choice a person should be able to make. Not any doctor, government, or family member should be able to tell me when i can or cannot die. But i also feel like you should not be able to kill yourself because of depression or dramatic experiences. I think that it should be a last resort only for the mentally ill or terminally ill. I for one, would not like to live through not having any brain function or to willow away in a hospital bed for the rest of my life. There is more to life and life is such a beautiful thing. But when you cannot enjoy life anymore, what is your purpose?
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I believe Brittany should have the right to die on her own terms. Reiterating what the above comments said, it should be a choice a person should be able to make. Not any doctor, government, or family member should be able to tell me when i can or cannot die. But i also feel like you should not be able to kill yourself because of depression or dramatic experiences. I think that it should be a last resort only for the mentally ill or terminally ill. I for one, would not like to live through not having any brain function or to willow away in a hospital bed for the rest of my life. There is more to life and life is such a beautiful thing. But when you cannot enjoy life anymore, what is your purpose?
I believe Brittany should have the right to die on her own terms. Reiterating what the above comments said, it should be a choice a person should be able to make. Not any doctor, government, or family member should be able to tell me when i can or cannot die. But i also feel like you should not be able to kill yourself because of depression or dramatic experiences. I think that it should be a last resort only for the mentally ill or terminally ill. I for one, would not like to live through not having any brain function or to willow away in a hospital bed for the rest of my life. There is more to life and life is such a beautiful thing. But when you cannot enjoy life anymore, what is your purpose?I believe Brittany should have the right to die on her own terms. Reiterating what the above comments said, it should be a choice a person should be able to make. Not any doctor, government, or family member should be able to tell me when i can or cannot die. But i also feel like you should not be able to kill yourself because of depression or dramatic experiences. I think that it should be a last resort only for the mentally ill or terminally ill. I for one, would not like to live through not having any brain function or to willow away in a hospital bed for the rest of my life. There is more to life and life is such a beautiful thing. But when you cannot enjoy life anymore, what is your purpose?
1. In life you have choices to make. You can either live or die and I don’t think she should have made that choice to die with dignity.
2. Yes because they want their patients to live their life to the fullest
3. Its wrong to play god because he died for all of us
i think everyone should have a choice on if they’d like to die or not, i think if your feeling out of it you should do as you feel
i think everyone should have a choice on if they’d like to die or not, i think if your feeling out or unsatisfied of it you should do as you feel
I personally think everyone should have a choice on if they’d like to die or not, i think if your feeling out or unsatisfied of it you should do as you feel
1. I think she has the right to do what she wants with her life but that doesn’t mean you have to commit suicide to end it early I would have done as much as I could have in that amount of time.
2. Yes, I think they have the right because suicide is a serious thing so they have the right to stop them.
3. I mean, I don’t think so but I think its wrong to kill yourself because god gave us life
i mean its her life she can do what ever she wants nobody could of stop her