I’m amazed that one of the most controversial issues nationwide is going largely without notice or comment here in Maine.
A new bill before the Legislature, L.D. 1270, “An Act Regarding Patient-Directed Care at the End of Life,” if passed, would allow qualifying terminally ill adults to receive a lethal prescription to take at a time of their choosing.
Brittany Maynard, who moved to Oregon from her home state to end her life early, used this end-of-life option. She had terminal brain cancer at the age of 29. Her state, California, failed to pass similar legislation and is now working on another bill. Her husband is helping that effort.
Presently, Maine’s citizens can move to Oregon, Washington state or Vermont, establish residency, then have a right to choose how the end of their life will go. Better, we can get involved with L.D. 1270 and stay here at home to have another choice at the end of life.
Concerns around dying are not just for Maine’s aging population. Each of us will die, and some of us will have a difficult time of it, which current practices don’t accommodate.
It’s a disservice to the citizens of Maine to let this bill die (no pun intended) without comment or news coverage.
Valerie Lovelace
Westport Island
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.