In the two weeks from October 21 to November 3, 2019:
- Media outlets nationwide commemorated the fifth anniversary of Brittany Maynard’s death;
- Advocates across the country shared their stories and their reasons for supporting death with dignity;
- Multiple publications catering to medical professionals explored the practice and the language surrounding medical aid in dying.
California
On November 1, 2014, Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman suffering from terminal brain cancer, used the Oregon Death with Dignity Act to die peacefully and painlessly. Her story sparked a nationwide conversation about death and dying and led to the passage of death with dignity statutes in six jurisdictions since 2015. We shared a remembrance of Brittany by her mother, Deborah Ziegler; here’s how the news media commemorated her death.
- Brittany Maynard’s Husband 5 Years After She Ended Her Life Amid Cancer: ‘I’m immensely proud,'” People.com, 10/28/2019
- “Brittany Maynard’s profound legacy on end-of-life options,” San Francisco Chronicle, 11/1/2019
- “End-of-life care advocates honor Brittany Maynard on the 5th anniversary of her death,” KUSI San Diego, 11/1/2019
- “My husband should not have suffered needlessly as he died,” Pasadena Star-News, 11/1/2019
Nevada
Nevada resident Hanna Olivas is dying of a rare blood cancer. A mother of four, she dreads the pain and suffering she will endure in the last stage of her life – and that her children will have to witness – unless she has the option of death with dignity. She shared her story publicly to persuade lawmakers in her state to pass assisted dying legislation.
- “‘I’m not giving up’: Local woman with rare blood cancer fights for ‘Death with Dignity,'” KSNV Las Vegas, 10/22/2019
- “Terminal Las Vegas Woman Becomes Focus of Assisted-Suicide Debate,” Nevada Public Radio, 10/23/2019
- “Fighting for a choice,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, 10/25/2019
Elsewhere Around the U.S.
- Colorado: “Doctor fired for attempting to help patient use Colorado’s aid-in-dying law lands new job,” Fox 31 Denver, 10/25/2019
- Minnesota: “Shaw: Choosing death with dignity,” Inforum, 11/2/2019
- New York: “John Ostswald’s Then and Now: Death with dignity,” Troy Record, 10/26/2019
- Utah: “Organizations That Cater to the Dying,” Utah Business, 10/31/2019
- “Is it ‘assisted suicide’ or ‘aid in dying’?,” Medscape, 10/23/2019
- “Medical Aid-in-Dying: A Continuing Trend,” Provider Magazine, 11/1/2019
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