Reclaiming Death:

Those Advanced directives we are all asked about each time we are admitted to a hospital. For me, it is not at all reassuring to be asked that question. It is only slightly less than asking "Where shall we send the body ?"  I always ponder a silly answer,  such as 'beam me up, Scotty".  The title "Advanced Directive" is a subterfuge, as well. It is one of those papers you sign at the hospital, designed to save expenses. It is a very objective thing for a very subjective circumstance.  In today's world, it has been enumerated into categories, ranging from disconnecting a ventilator if you are brain dead or have little chance of surviving a fatal illness such as cancer, multiple sclerosis. It is also a good chance it will never be read if you are admitted in a coma, or unable to respond. If someone is with you there is also a good chance they do not know if you have one.

When we talk about death what we’re really talking about is life.” – Dr. Dawn Gross, host of the radio show “Dying to Talk”

“What happens when you die?  That to me is the only thing really that’s of any importance.” – George Harrison

What about those patients who want to accelerate their trip from existence to the unknown,  due to extreme pain, or symptom they cannot bear?

For those who are not in extremis, walking around there is another option. California’s End of Life allows doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs for terminally ill patients who must meet strict guidelines and follow lengthy procedures before taking the medicine themselves.

The law is the culmination of decades of efforts that peaked when Brittany Maynard moved from California to Oregon, where she availed herself of a similar law just before her 30th birthday in 2014. Her death sparked a national debate and an explosion of proposed state legislation.

On the surface, California’s law is the latest headline in a growing national movement towards the kinder, gentler end of life care.

Guidelines have been published to assist doctors and patients who agree on 'assisted death.  There are 4 main types of euthanasia, i.e., active, passive, indirect, and physician-assisted suicide

Yet the End of Life Option Act is much more than that.

It’s another step towards overthrowing a system in which doctors — even religious leaders – tell people how to live and die.

In my opinion, it is a good thing for all concerned since the patient is making his/her desire known. It affords legal protection for all concerned especially if the family disagrees.

It’s a conflict summarized by Stanford longevity expert Dr. Walter Bortz II in his book “We Live Too Short and Die Too Long.”  Dr. Bortz makes some interesting comments about longevity.

Legality:

Not all states have laws protecting physicians and/or patients from legal repercussions.

States which have formalized the process 

Right to Die in Oregon

A Doctor's Perspective

The right to die in Belgium: An inside look at the world’s most liberal euthanasia law

In California, the patient must self inject the drug, California law prohibits physicians from injecting the medication.  The medical records must be reviewed by two other physicians.

This all leads to a single question — how do we want to die?

Many Americans have decades to answer that question, 

As a quick overview, 258 people started the end-of-life option process by speaking with two different physicians at least 15 days apart, according to the data released by the California Department of Public Health this July. Of these patients, 191 had prescriptions written for aid-in-dying drugs between June 9, 2016 and December 31, 2016. Physicians reported that 111 of the patients died following the ingestion of the drugs.  



Reclaiming Death: California’s End of Life Option Act – California Health Report: