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Dying with Dignity

By Will See
in conversation with Ed Poll

Wilbur (Will) See directs the Hudson Valley Humanists’ task force on dying with dignity.  His personal interest in end-of-life choices began when his wife incurred a series of strokes starting in 1996.  She was in a nursing home for seven years.  Almost every day she expressed her desire to die, and so end the physical and emotional pain that accompanied her severe disability.  Will inquired about how his wife’s wishes to end her life could be carried out in a dignified way, but medical authorities refused to help.  After seven years in that condition, Mrs. See passed away.  

Hudson Valley Humanist director, Ed Poll, interviewed Mr. See in April of 2005 to learn more about dying with dignity in light of the Terry Schiavo case.

Poll: What advice can you give regarding the end of life?

See:  Make your wishes known to your family and friends.  What we all should have learned from Terry Schiavo’s case is to make a notarized Living Will.  Give a copy to your doctor, your lawyer, and your family.

Poll: How does one get a Living Will?

See:  The forms are available from lawyers, doctors, nursing homes, and dying with dignity organizations like End of Life Choices and Compassion and Choices.  Those are two of the biggest organizations in the country dealing with end of life issues.

Poll: Is it possible that Terry Shiavo’s husband loved her and yet was willing to have her feeding tube removed which lead to her death?

See: Yes, if you see the person you love in constant fear, unable to do anything for themselves, without any hope of recovering and wanting to die, it is an act of love.

Poll: You've often said that dying with dignity is something people don't want to talk about. What do you mean by that?

See:  Only a few years ago the subject was ''uncomfortable'' for many, now with Terry Schiavo and similar cases, people are realizing they themselves could end up that way.  They do not want their loved ones to feel the torment that comes with making those decisions.

Poll: Do you think the Terry Schiavo case has been beneficial in raising awareness?

See:  Yes, with all the media hype most everyone has become aware of what might happen to them.  End-of-Life-Choices and similar organizations have seen a big increase in requests for information and membership.

Poll: Is there a humanistic approach to the end of life?  

See:  To me it is the ultimate civil right.  Every competent adult should have the legal means to set his or her limit on what an acceptable and meaningful life.  This, of course, will vary widely from one individual to another.      

Poll:  Under what circumstances do you think physician assisted suicide is ethical?

See:  I believe every competent adult, who has been judged by a psychiatrist and a medical doctor who agree that the person has an irreversible condition in which he or she cannot function to the minimal life that person would want, should be entitled to opt for physician assisted suicide.  Related to that, the California judiciary has just passed legislation similar to Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act.  A vote in the assembly should happen before the end of May.     

Poll:  Do you think New York needs a dying with dignity bill as Oregon has?

See:  Yes, and not only New York, but every state.  It should be a civil right that any competent adult can select.

Poll: What do you see as the main stumbling block to such legislation?

See:  By far the main opposition is religion and in particular the Catholic Church.  They spent millions trying to defeat Oregon's dying with dignity legislation. In New York they have a strong hold on the legislators via their money and influence.  However, in every public opinion poll I have seen, 50% or more of voters favor some kind of dying with dignity legislation.