A final, and personal, choice
A woman fights on two fronts: to beat her cancer diagnosis, and to win New Yorkers the right to medical aid in dying.
Last year I was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. I was not afraid of death, but I was afraid of the pain and trauma that could be inevitable at the end of life. I wanted a peaceful, compassionate option if it came to be.
As I began to get my affairs in order, just in case I did not respond to treatment, I was horrified to learn that New York has still not legalized medical aid in dying, an end-oflife option that allows terminally ill adults to get a prescription medication they can take to end their life peacefully. I became an advocate for its legalization. The bill was introduced eight years ago, and we cannot stop pressing lawmakers to see the damage their inaction is inflicting upon the terminally ill.
Body autonomy is the right of a person to govern what happens to their body without external influence or coercion. This right should never be infringed upon. And yet in New York, we rightfully extend animals a compassionate and humane death but we deny that right for humans.
Those opposed to medical aid in dying tout hypothetical arguments about coercion and abuse, scenarios that have never once been recorded in states that have passed these laws. There are numerous safeguards built in to prevent any sort of abuse of the law.
Many lawmakers point to hospice and palliative care as the solution. The medical research is very clear: Both hospice and palliative care have limitations and cannot always prevent extreme suffering. Also, many terminally ill do not want to be forced into hospice or palliative care when their quality of life has deteriorated beyond what they can bear. They want the autonomy to choose their own end.
Being an advocate with firsthand experience is not easy. The family and friends of individuals who have passed while suffering must relate their stories again and again to lawmakers. Imagine the trauma this causes the advocates, as they must continue to relive the details of their daughter’s or spouse’s agony at the end of life with no option for a peaceful death.
It took a toll on my mental health to speak to lawmakers who were completely dismissive of how much the terminally ill can suffer. During a one on one, I had a senator tell me to my face he could not support the bill because he “just wants the Catholics to leave (him) alone.” Many opposing lawmakers blatantly refused to speak with us.
By the end of the legislative session, medical aid in dying had the votes to pass. However, leadership made the choice not to bring the bill to a vote. Their message was loud and clear: The needless, traumatizing suffering of terminally ill New Yorkers is not important.
It has taken me many months to wrap my head around how devastated I am by our lawmakers’ refusal to protect the terminally ill from suffering. With other states (Maine, New Jersey, Vermont, New Mexico, Montana, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, California and Hawaii, plus the District of Columbia) allowing medical aid in dying, I have come to regret that New York is where I chose to build my life.
If I sound bitter and angry, it’s because I am. My cancer treatment has been difficult, punishing and often debilitating. However, the worst part is falling asleep knowing the state of New York doesn’t care about the terrible pain and suffering I may endure at the end of life if my treatment fails.
If an Assembly member or senator is against medical aid in dying, they are against the freedom for us to choose what happens with our own body. Their constituents should take note: Do you want to vote for a lawmaker who stands in the way of protecting the terminally ill? Do you want a representative who allows the demands of religious groups to override the rights of the nonreligious?
As we enter the next legislative session, we must press lawmakers with emails, phone calls and letters. Lawmakers need to know that New Yorkers want a peaceful and compassionate option at the end of life. They must find the empathy to do the right thing.