The March 5 Metro article “Md. lawmakers drop aid-in-dying bill, dashing patients’ hopes” was heartbreaking news for thousands of Maryland residents who are facing, or have a loved one who is facing, a terminal illness. I know how they might feel.
At one point, we actually had some hope the legislators would see the wisdom in removing themselves from purely personal and private medical decisions by adopting appropriate legislation protecting end-of-life choices. We were disappointed it never happened.
Often, we hear the phrase “callous disregard for human life” in reports on terrorist attacks, wartime battles, mass shootings and similar atrocities.
But callous disregard and disrespect for a human life may also be seen in more subtle fashion, when lawmakers and courts persist in denying a person with a catastrophic or terminal medical condition their fundamental right to obtain medical assistance in ending their own suffering and the suffering of their families — and to do so with dignity. The human life deserving respect and protection in this case is that of a fully competent adult facing a tragic medical prognosis who wishes to expedite the inevitable, and to do so without breaking the law or undergoing a final, unnecessary struggle.
Thomas Murphy, Rockville
