@$ID/[No paragraph style]:Support this bill

The Legislature is considering H-274/S-103, the “Death with Dignity” bill. This bill would allow (not force) a terminally ill person to hasten their death with the aid of a physician. It is an important bill and it is loaded with safeguards to prevent abuses and mistakes.

Shouldn’t a person’s choices about the end of his or her life be their own? And shouldn’t their decisions be free of government interference? The answer to both is yes. I’m a nonagenarian (90-plus) and statistics suggest that I will be facing these decisions sooner than most. I think twice before buying green bananas. I certainly do not want the government interfering with the end of my life.

We’ve been quite successful at extending lives and this has been good. Sometimes, however, we have gone too far and ended up simply extending the process of dying. In some cases this has not been good. If it is acceptable to extend the process of dying, shouldn’t we also be allowed to move it along if we chose? (The answer is yes). Why should it not be appropriate to help a dying person alleviate their suffering if they so chose, while at the same time we consider it appropriate and humane to hasten the death of a dying loved dog, cat or horse whose wishes we don’t know? We should be consistent.

No matter what our age, this bill is important and I urge our Senators and House members to support it.

Ann T. Stone

Montpelier