In the June 1, 2004 NY Times article "In Oregon, Choosing Death Over Suffering," Dr. Kenneth Stevens says of those who choose to die by their own hand when they have a terminal illness: "The 'P' word is not 'pain.' The 'P' word is 'pride'... Rather than being death with dignity, it's death with vanity."
I think it would be instructive to step back and examine that statement by considering who really has more vanity: he who believes he knows best how a terminally ill patient should die, and would seek to control that choice by law, or the terminally ill patient who wishes to decide only for himself.
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