George Eighmey, a retired Oregon legislator who helped pass the law addresses the low numbers saying, "No one is pressured into using this law; in fact, very few people do. What's important is that the choice is available to anyone who qualifies."While this drug does not have widespread use, when used in the right way it can bring comfort and closure to people who have come to terms with their death and want to go out while they still feel like themselves. .
This is how Britanny Maynard felt when she decided to end her life. Britanny and her tragic story has brought a tremendous amount of media coverage to the Death with Dignity Act as well as to the issue of having the right to death. A newlywed, articulate young woman Britanny is a bold advocate for the Death with Dignity, and draws a lot of comfort knowing that she will go out on her own terms while she still feels like herself. Watching someone you love and care about actively die is devastating and painful. Taking that pain away from not only yourself but also your family and friends is an invaluable gift. Cancer is not the only disease that can lead to a lingering but certain death. Mike Carlisle was diagnosed with Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. This disease was certainly terminal but not before it would make him suffer and through his final months with an intolerable quality of life. With two children, Mike did not want to have his family suffer as they watched him waste away. The Death with Dignity Act allowed Mike to take control of this terrible disease and cut short his suffering.
Part of why this bill has not passed in many states is because of the stigma placed on assisted suicide, or euthanasia in society. Doctors who assist in suicide are shunned by society and so the term "assisted suicide" carries a negative connotation of fear. Dr. Peter Rasmussen is a retired oncologist in Salem and was a big supporter of the Death with Dignity Act when it was proposed in Oregon.