From WGBH, Boston’s PBS station: “Proponents of medical aid in dying, also known as physician-assisted suicide, say it can offer a peaceful death to those who are terminally ill. Critics say the process is unfairly stacked against people with disabilities. The two sides debated with Liz Neisloss on Greater Boston.”
An article samples quotes from the 15 minute TV broadcast (video below):
John Kelly, director of Second Thoughts Massachusetts, is opposed to the bill. An accident left Kelly paralyzed from the neck down at the age of 25. He said many people who have chosen physician-assisted suicide did so not because of pain, but because of a loss of abilities and feeling like a burden on others. He said those are the same issues disabled people face.
“My own father wished that I had died in the accident,” he said. “And people have told me they would rather be dead than be like me.”
He added that there’s a lack of proper home care, which can be expensive when available.
“People are faced with the choice of going to a nursing home or living at home with resentful helpers, not getting their needs met,” he said.
