On Saturday, November 1, Brittany Maynard ended her life with medication prescribed to her by her doctor. The 29-year-old was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma multiform, an extremely aggressive form of brain cancer. Doctors pronounced the tumor to be terminal and gave Brittany only six months to live. During her time after her diagnosis, Brittany and her husband moved from California to Oregon, one of the five states that allows medical aid in dying. Brittany was able to travel around the country and visit places on her bucket list with friends and family before passing away in her home.

Maynard's decision to end her own life has sparked back up the controversy of physician-aided suicide. According to CBS, 67% of physicians in America oppose medically-aided suicide, as well as the American Medical Association. Most fear that the legal ability to assist medicated suicide would be abused regarding the dialed, the elderly and others who may not be able to make decisions for themselves. 

Maynard believed that the decision for her to die was for her to make, and that it saved her pain and suffering. As someone who has watched both my grandfather's pass away from cancer, a grandmother from dementia and my father sign a DNR before having an acoustic neuroma tumor removed (which was successful), I understand why Brittany wouldn't want to endure the pain and suffering and to lessen the toll on her family. 

I'm not going to pretend like I remotely understand what Brittany went through, or disrespect her decision to end her life, however it brings into question where the line should be drawn with assisted suicide. Is it really your decision or your doctors decision to prescribe you the lethal medicine? Is it in the government's power to make laws regarding medical decisions for American citizens? Just some thoughts.