"I still feel good enough, I still have enough joy. I still laugh and smile with my family and friends. This does not feel like the right time to go," Brittney Maynard. .
In Oregon, there was a woman named Brittney Maynard. She was 29 years of age. She suddenly started to have severe headaches and became concerned and wanted to go see a doctor as soon as possible. Shortly after in May 2013, Maynard was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She was married to her husband Dan Diaz, at the time she was diagnosed. The following year, in the spring of 2014 she was informed that she only had six or seven months to live. The thought of dying from terminally ill brain cancer and never having kids was heartbreaking to her. She wanted to leave her legacy behind. Maynard decided to move from the state of California to Oregon to participate in physician assisted suicide also known as the "Death with Dignity Act." She was told that the process would be long and painful, and she did not want to go through that. So she went a doctor in Oregon that could prescribe her the lethal dose of the medication that would end her life immediately. She scheduled to end her life November 1, 2014, just three short days after her husband's birthday. Brittney stated, "I know everyone has to morn, but I want him to remarry and have a family. Something I could never do for him." In her saying that one can tell that she really loves Dan and wants only the best for him. .
Physician assisted suicide occurs when a physician facilitates a patient's death by providing the necessary mean and/or information to enable the patient to perform the life ending act. In the United States the Supreme Court ruled twice in 1997 that there is no constitutional precedent or right to assisted suicide (cite). On October 27, 1997, Oregon legalized physician assisted suicide (cite). Physician assisted suicide is practiced in the Netherlands but is criminal prosecution, although such prosecutions are rare.
