Two Colorado lawmakers have drafted legislation that would allow terminally ill patients to obtain lethal doses of drugs from their physicians. The legislation is modeled after Oregon’s “death with dignity” law. (Thinkstock)
Re: “An option for Colorado’s terminally ill,” Dec. 29 editorial.
The right to control one’s life is the ultimate civil right. Thank you for supporting safe and legal access to drugs terminally ill individuals can use to end their lives on their own terms. I wholeheartedly support the proposed legislation sponsored by state Reps. Lois Court and Joann Ginal, which is based on a similar Oregon law.
The successful Oregon experiment demonstrates that access to this final option brings enormous relief not only to those who choose to hasten death, but also to those who are empowered to live on and endure those last difficult moments simply because, with that lethal dose in hand, the choice is truly theirs.
You are correct that “death with dignity” is a misnomer. Death comes to all. Dignity — and peace of mind — comes from one’s ability to choose how and when to die.
James Moore, Bailey
This letter was published in the Jan. 4 edition.I am so glad to know that legislation will be introduced this session to provide a humane way for terminally ill patients to end their lives, in keeping with their values and wishes. The Post editorial did not mention that Charles Selsberg chose to die of thirst (dehydration) rather than continue to suffer from late-stage ALS. That is an awful way to die and awful for loved ones to witness, but it was better than the alternative.
We live in a state that values personal freedom. It is time to extend this value to respect end-of-life choices. The “death with dignity” movement is gaining momentum but needs individual supporters to speak out. Letap make it happen in Colorado.
Anne-Marie Holen, Salida
This letter was published in the Jan. 4 edition.The terminally ill already have an option. It is called hospice. Death is not a medical procedure for us but a process of life, just as being born is a process. We use no artificial means to keep a person alive. Their life passes as their body shuts down its systems in a very natural and most would agree beautiful way.
As we mess with life in so many ways — from genetics to replacing body parts and sustaining life by artificial means — we are indeed on a slippery slope. What you are really advocating here is ending life by artificial means. Your reasoning is that “Coloradans esteem independence and free choice.” Speak for yourself, please.
As a volunteer in hospice, I could not have more compassion for Charles Selsberg and his family. We have had ALS patients, Alzheimer’s patients, cancer and the like. If the bill’s proponents want to see “death with dignity,” I would invite them to come out and spend a shift with me. They might have a different viewpoint.
Sooner or later, science and self-determination will go too far — if it hasn’t already. Then the genie will truly be out of the bottle.
Ted Kenny, Denver
This letter was published in the Jan. 4 edition.I commend the Denver Post editorial board for its support of the pending “death with dignity” bill.
Hopefully, it will be passed in the 2015 legislative session. State Reps. Lois Court and Joann Ginal are brave and far-sighted to introduce it.
I am a longtime member of Compassion & Choices (a non-profit organization that works to expand end-of-life options), and have been circulating its petition in support of choice at the end of life since it was introduced. I regret that my father did not have a legal right to peacefully and painlessly end his life on Dec. 12, 1998. Instead he shot himself on his balcony after posting a “do not resuscitate” sign on its sliding door.
If only my brother and I could have been with him, holding his hands in support, after he administered a benign dose to himself.
I do not want to impose my opinions on others; I just want each of us to have a choice. Mine is to die with dignity when my time comes.
Kathleen Jonson Visovatti, Denver
This letter was published in the Jan. 4 edition.Initially, I was excited to see the headline on your editorial, as I assumed this would be a great article on palliative care and hospice care, which can alleviate suffering, bring families together and give peace to all without guilt.
What might happen if a law for euthanasia is passed? Laws almost always become coercive. Laws rarely stay as originally written; over time they broaden to include more “possibilities,” leading to the potential that euthanasia may become non-voluntary.
Will the non-productive elderly or terminally ill have a duty to prematurely die to contain health care costs? Will demented persons have a right to live? Will greed (i.e., early and bigger inheritance) find new opportunities in bringing about premature deaths?
Please read the book “Midwife for Souls” by Kathy Kalina for an enlightening and different perspective.
Carole Barry, Loveland
This letter was published in the Jan. 4 edition.Thank you, thank you for your endorsement of the “death with dignity” or “choice at the end of life” bill that will be introduced in the Colorado legislature this year. I am 81 and hope that the legislation is passed soon so that when the time comes that I am “terminally ill,” I will be able to choose how I die without the government or anyone else’s beliefs interfering in my personal decision. It is my hope that I will be able to die peacefully at home with my family nearby. Thank you for helping that to be closer to reality because of your endorsement.
Letap hope that in this great state that so strongly values personal freedom and liberty, the bill will become law in 2015.
Elizabeth W. Norton, Durango
This letter was published in the Jan. 4 edition.I disagree with your editorial and the entire premise. In 1971, I cared for an 18-year-old young man with leukemia. As one of his nurses, I frequently discussed his treatment with him. He knew if he did not go into remission after two tries with chemotherapy, he would not be cured. He made the decision for no further treatment after this happened.
He had a wonderful outlook on life for an 18-year-old. The night of his decision, I cared for him. He said goodbye to me in a different way than ever before. My reply was: “Do you think you are going to die tonight since you made this decision?” He said yes, to which I replied, “God is not ready for you yet. You have not touched enough people yet.”
He lived four months longer, doing all he wanted to do, including hiking and camping in the mountains. He would come in for periodic blood transfusions, go home and do as he wanted. When he was last admitted, we kept him comfortable with pain medication and we had one last conversation knowing he was finally ready.
Mother Teresa once said, “Life is a struggle, accept it.” People can be made comfortable as they die; they need not hurry the process. Shame on all of you for supporting this.
Mary Walsh, Aurora
This letter was published in the Jan. 4 edition.
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