Brittany Maynard’s decision to die should be her choice alone

Last January, 29-year-old newlywed Brittany Maynard received devastating news. Her frequent and often debilitating headaches were symptomatic of a far more serious diagnosis — glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive and lethal form of brain cancer. Further tests revealed that her condition was worse than initially anticipated and that her cancer had progressed to stage four, making her situation terminal with an expected life span of about six months.

Lili Scarlet Sedano | Daily Trojan

As a result, Maynard made the decision to end her own life on Nov. 1, asserting her right to “die with dignity.” Her public decision was met with expected criticism, as many charged her with choosing suicide in the face of terminal illness. Her decision, however, is far more complex than that.

“My glioblastoma is going to kill me, and that’s out of my control,” Maynard said in a YouTube video. “I’ve discussed with many experts how I would die from it, and it’s a terrible, terrible way to die. Being able to choose to go with dignity is less terrifying.”

Should Maynard decide to go through with the process, she will be take medication that, if ingested, will end her life peacefully and painlessly.

The “Die with Dignity” laws allow patients to self-administer lethal medication prescribed by a physician. After being evaluated by a physician to ensure that the decision is not made hastily or as a result of mental incompetence, the patient must then submit a written request for the prescription. Once this is complete, the prescription is filled within 48 hours.

Those who wish to view Maynard’s decision solely as that of a woman who is too afraid to deal with the impending pain and suffering her terminal illness will cause her are clearly not listening carefully enough. Maynard isn’t adopting a “fight to the death” attitude that most within our society would find more palatable and hopeful in instances like these, but she isn’t giving up on her life either, as most of her critics seem to suggest.

“The reason to consider life and what’s of value is to make sure you’re not missing out,” Maynard said in a video. “Seize the day. What’s important to you, what do you care about, what matters? Pursue that, forget the rest.”

Her insistence to seize the day and live life to the fullest are sentiments we as a society tout constantly. These don’t sound like the words of a woman who is eager to end her life. Rather, they sound like the words of a woman who is making the choice to live the rest of her life in the way she sees most fit. For Maynard, that’s spending time with those who matter most to her and doing the things she cares about in the limited time that she has. Though her decision is not necessarily the one most people would choose, it is unfair to morally judge a decision that is ultimately hers and hers alone. The decision of a terminal patient to endure until a natural death shouldn’t be afforded moral superiority over a terminal patient like Maynard who chooses to live the remainder of her life on her own terms.

Though not everyone will understand her choice, however, we can at least appreciate the fact that most people don’t receive a time limits on their lives. How Maynard chooses to live the rest of hers is a personal decision, and it is not one that makes her any less of a credible person. We can only hope that Maynard and her family will be given the peace and privacy they deserve.

Yasmeen Serhan is a junior majoring in international relations. She is also the special projects editor of the Daily Trojan. “Point/Counterpoint” runs Tuesdays.