The Dallas Morning News

December 2, 2007

Debbie Cartwright of Arlington: Dying with dignity

There's no such thing as a painless end with cancer, says DEBBIE CARTWRIGHT of Arlington

When it comes to death, bet you've either said or heard, "I hope I go in my sleep," or, "I hope it's quick and painless."

There's no such luxury for the terminally ill, especially those with cancer.

The journey after diagnosis entails months, even years of treatment. If you've had a front-row seat on such a trip with a family member or loved one, you know how ugly it gets.

At journey's end comes those dreaded words from the physician: "Sorry, but there's nothing else we can do." With that determination, when the IVs and plugs are pulled, ugly gets uglier.

When that happened to Dad, family was told he might pass within a few hours, or surely the next day. Regrettably, Daddy lingered in hospice with excruciating pain and anguish for a week. Imagining what was going through his mind is simply ... unimaginable. Known for his dry wit, he awakened in the wee hours one night asking me the date and time.

"And I'm not dead yet?" he asked.

A friend for three decades passed last year at the age of 56 from pancreatic cancer. Near-emaciated but for her swollen belly full of tumors, Judy lay lingering in her living room for more than a week. While she'd asked that her bed be moved close to her plant-filled patio, she mostly kept her eyes closed. A parade of friends whispered loving memories, but she rarely spoke.

The morphine drip just wasn't enough to keep her comfortable. Current drug laws primarily prohibit physicians from prescribing enough meds to alleviate the unbearable pain caused by cancer.

This independent, strong-willed woman left me wondering: If she had the choice to end it quickly and painlessly, would she do it?

I would. Would you?

As terminal illness prevails without cure and the Boomer Nation begins to tap into critical care, some suggest the current health care crisis will implode.

We Boomers are known as the generation of "I want it and I want it now," and some in North Texas are engaged in the debate for our right to die. We want control over our terminal journey, and physician-assisted death is the answer.

It is, after all, lawful in America for states to pass laws like the one passed in Oregon, which was upheld by the Supreme Court. It's called the Death With Dignity Act, whereby a terminal patient of sound mind, in tandem with a treating physician, can request and receive a lethal-dose prescription.

Another friend who fought breast cancer for two years once addressed the issue of physician-assisted death.

"I'm Catholic, and suicide goes against my religion, so I don't think I would ever use it," she pondered. "But having pills like that on the nightstand would sure give me some peace of mind."

Peace of mind is all one can really hope for in death. That and dignity.

Some are troubled with the morality of the issue, but opting for physician-assisted death is between the patient and their forgiving Creator.

The Death With Dignity Act gives back to the patient the control lost during the journey of terminal illness. It affords one the peaceful opportunity of choosing the right time and the right place for The End.

The U.S. Supreme Court gave a thumbs-up to the law in 2006.

"Americans are engaged in an earnest and profound debate about the morality, legality and practicality of physician-assisted suicide," wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy.

The high court found the act's writ entailed explicit safeguards protecting the physicians and, in particular, the patient.

While Oregon's law has been allowed for a decade, the first right-to-die effort began in 1938, led by prominent New Yorker Alice Naumburg Prosauer, herself terminally ill. Leaders in the medical, religious and legal community joined her movement, which continues today through the organization Compassion & Choices.

The Pew Research Center concluded in 2005 that Americans today are more prone to planning their own deaths through living wills and physician directives. Of those polled, 70 percent say a patient has the right to determine his or her fate in dealing with terminal illness.

Physician-assisted death is lawful overseas – in The Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium. England, France, Germany and Australia are debating. Here, several states have gone to ballot, while others continue discussions.

Let's end the lingering in Texas and begin our debate.

Debbie Cartwright of Arlington is a semi-retired public relations professional and hospital staffer. She is also a Community Voices volunteer columnist. Her e-mail address is dcnn@airmail.net. For more information about this topic, visit www.death withdignitytexas.com.