Affirming choice as a human right at the last phase of life requires a shift in thinking about death. Death is not evil or sinful; rather, it is as natural as our birth. Each of life's stages, including the last, must be embraced with vigor.
I challenge those who see the Supreme Court's decision as a harbinger of abuse – who imagine scenarios of state-ordered executions of the elderly or health maintenance organizations curtailing medical payments until a quick death is achieved. The risk of abuse can be eliminated by investing this life-and-death decision solely with the affected individual. Results of Oregon's seven-year experience with the aid-in-dying law show NO evidence of abuse.
The right to a good death is a basic human freedom. The Supreme Court's decision to uphold aid in dying allows us to view and act on death as a dignified moral and godly choice for those suffering with terminal illnesses.
-- Bishop John Shelby Spong
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