Brittany Maynard and the right-to-die debate

“No palliative care, terminal sedation, or promise of effective palliative care can give Maynard the thing she treasures now … the hope of gaining control over her disease before it takes her life.”

from Washington Post article, How Brittany Maynard may change the right-to die-debate.

 It's become a political issue - will become a legal issue -
But how about a more personal take on the issue.  And I don't mean personal for Brittany - I mean personal for you - the person reading this.

There's lot's of opinions in the article - especially on the legal side of things.  Someone even brought gay marriage and and marijuana into the debate -

“Now we have a young woman getting people in her generation interested in the issue,” Caplan wrote in article published on Medscape. “Critics are worried about her partly because she’s speaking to that new audience, and they know that the younger generation of America has shifted attitudes about gay marriage and the use of marijuana, and maybe they are going to have that same impact in pushing physician-assisted suicide forward.

I can't help but wonder - why go there?

Of course - there's also the political side -

But “assisted suicide” summons up deep religious and ethical concerns among some critics, including many Catholics and those associated with the Right to Life movement. While organizations have avoided criticizing Maynard, many have come out against the media and advocacy groups for what they consider exploitation of her story to gain a political edge. National Right to Life called Compassion & Choices “ghoulish” in its representation of Maynard’s tragedy.

But how about a more personal take on the issue.  And I don't mean personal for Brittany - I mean personal for you - the person reading this.

Take a look at the picture in the top corner of this page.  There are three grave markers in the picture.  One has "RIP" on it.  One is a Cross.  One has nothing on it.  Which one would you like to have for yourself?  Note - I'm not telling you which one you should have - I'm asking you to seriously think about it - which one do you want?  The "RIP" - the Cross - or the nothing?  I think this is an important question - because the Post article says Maynard said she just wanted to leave a worthy legacy.  Whatever that legacy is - it's only going to be left if we all think about what she said and did.

If you truly don't care about what happens when you die - maybe the nothing grave marker is the one for you.  That's the one that (pardon the pun) puts a stake in the ground and says "I really don't care.  There's nothing after this life - nothing really lasting about it - it doesn't matter".  It's not a view that I agree with - and I pray that you don't either - but it's one you are entitled to.

If you want the "RIP" grave - maybe you agree with this -

Even the women on “The View” debated her right to die. Big names like Rosie O’Donnell said to have “control over your own death, when you've had no control for so long over your illness, I think is the human thing to do.”

OK - so you're hoping that you do as the marker says - RIP - Rest in Peace.  That implies, I think, a belief in something after this life.  I would take it even further and say it means you also believe there are two possible outcomes - one of peace, for which you hope - and the other of something not peaceful, which you hope to avoid.  I'd put more quotes in at this point - but there aren't any.  The article doesn't go there.  But if Brittany's legacy is to have real - important - meaning - isn't it essential that we go there?  RIP has a meaning.