Majority of Illinoisans want law
I strongly object to opinion pieces that erroneously label the end-of-life option of medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults to peacefully end intolerable suffering as “assisted suicide.” Opponents of medical aid in dying use this term to attempt to criminalize it and deter lawmakers from approving it.
First, the option is not suicide. The vast majority of terminally ill patients want to live, but the disease has taken away the option of living. Second, no one can assist the patient. Medicine must be self-administered. Therefore, it is the patient who must make the decision, not the greedy relatives Baptist fears.
Most of us do not fear death as much as we fear the pain and suffering that may result. Even with hospice, not all pain can be controlled. I witnessed this last summer. My dear friend suffered a recurrence of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It returned with a vengeance, attacking her brain and spine. I sat at her bedside in the hospital, day after day, watching her suffer in excruciating pain, unable to even raise her head. No medication or palliative care alleviated this pain, despite Baptist’s insistence that “pain doesn’t exist” due to medical and palliative advances.
Ten states plus the District of Columbia allow medical aid in dying. Thus, about 1 in 5 Americans already have this option. In the 25-year history of this practice in the U.S., there has not been one substantiated instance of abuse.
Although up to one-third of those opting to get the medication never use it, just having access to it can relieve anxiety and fear. Moreover, medical aid in dying laws actually promote patient discussions with doctors and loved ones about the full range of end-of-life care options, including hospice and palliative care, and help families heal.
A February 2023 poll conducted by Impact Research shows that more that 7 out of 10 Illinois voters want our legislature to pass this legislation. Our legislature should honor the wishes of the vast majority of its constituents. It is time!