I am a strong supporter of legislation to create end-of-life options, also referred to as “compassionate choices.” I recently spoke to the issue in an “ask me anything” town hall setting. Here is my lightly-edited 2 minute statement on the legislation.
Transcript (lightly edited):
Compassionate Choices. Yeah. Giving people the ability to choose to end their life when they are already terminally ill and facing certain death in a relatively short period of time and they want to avoid the pain.
That’s something that, is a very personal issue for me. It’s something that my father worked hard on, when he was alive. He, mercifully died, in his sleep and did not suffer. But, my mother had a course of illness that really could have led to suffering, although it was mercifully swift. She had pancreatic cancer and she died. Once she felt bad, it was really a very swift thing.
But there are people whose terminal illness, and we all have a terminal something, is very, very painful and scary. And, giving people the option — this is the way my father put it, and he was somebody who had worked a lot in hospice: people are not afraid of death; they’re afraid of pain — and giving people the option to break the glass and exit at a certain point, if the pain gets too bad, is something that they almost never use. They rarely use it. But knowing that they have it, gives them a lot of comfort. It eliminates their fear in the final days and those final months and weeks when, they don’t have any good prospects and they only have bad prospects, but you can take away some of the fear. So that’s something that I’ve personally worked hard on for a few years. It was on the ballot about 10, 12 years ago, did not pass. and we’ve been trying to build consensus to move it forward, over the past few years, not so far successfully.
Audience Member Keep up the good work on that one, please.
Yep. it’s, on my very short list of things that I want to, that I’m constantly trying to find a way through on.
I support compassionate choices at the end of life. I hope that someday Massachusetts will join the other states that allow this option. Thank you!
Thank you SO MUCH for taking this up, Will. I am very passionate about this issue and while it faces obstacles, I am glad that we’re at least having this conversation in MA. Eager to support this in any way I can.
I agree that this is the compassionate option for people facing a long, painful death. Being drugged enough to end pain is not a dignified way to wait for the inevitable, and adds to the grief of the family.
Hi Will, I too am a strong proponent of this bill. I hope that it will keep on coming before the legislature. What can we do to help garner support? Thanks as always for your work. Best, Joan
I too am a deep supporter of this bill to provide the option for certain dying persons. I experienced. The dying in pain of my parents and a 37 yr old member of my family. Keep up the fight!
I would like to voice my opposition to this effort. I do not agree with euthanasia or assisted suicide.
I support end of life dignity, but the Democrats* are on the path of Socialism now, and these command economy techno-fascists will surely demand individuals and families make the “right decision” about use of resources. There is no room in their artless world for single family homes, golf courses, and so on.
It’s the age old argument.
Thanks Will. I am a supporter of it of course. Thanks!