Last week my husband and I had the heartbreaking experience of euthanizing our little dog who had been suffering from heart failure. While I recount the experience as heartbreaking, we shared the thought that we are “allowed” to treat their pets with mercy. We didn’t want Lulu to suffer and were able to assist her to a peaceful death.
Presently in New York State we are not given the chance to assist human beings who are terminally ill and dying in great pain. No, you and I must continue on until the last organ/system fails. Hospice or palliation may alleviate some of the pain, but sometimes adequate relief from suffering is not possible.
Other states and many other countries allow “compassionate care” for the sick and dying. New York State now has a chance to afford its citizens this same privilege by passing the Medical Aid in Dying bill. Medical aid in dying allows an adult who is terminally ill, mentally competent, and within six months of death to obtain a doctor’s prescription for medication they may take when their pain is no longer bearable and they wish to end their suffering peacefully.
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We must now request that our legislators and our Gov. Kathy Hochul pass the Medical Aid in Dying Act to provide this basic right to New Yorkers.
Don’t we wish to be given the same consideration and mercy as our pets?
Sandra Ebert
Amherst
