"Death With Dignity" initiative deserves dignified consideration

By Booth Gardner, Guest columnist,
Special to The Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...neroped03.html

I first began to think about a "death with dignity" law for Washington when I was preparing some remarks for an event honoring me for my...

I first began to think about a "death with dignity" law for Washington when I was preparing some remarks for an event honoring me for my lifetime contributions to the state. These events are good for the ego; but, they are also a reminder that the road ahead is far shorter than the road behind.

As I looked ahead, I thought of the many Parkinson's disease patients I have come to know since being diagnosed with this affliction in the mid-1990s and the terrible suffering that many endured in the last days of their lives. I know a similar fate awaits me.

All my life, I have made the important choices for myself. Some were easy and turned out well. Others were very difficult. As I looked ahead to my final days, I wanted the right to make a final choice — to have some control over the time and manner of my death.

When I first announced my plans to field a "death with dignity" campaign, I was deluged with stories about loved ones suffering terribly in the last days of their lives. These stories increased my commitment and gave me needed energy.

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