Letters to the Editor: Californians are lucky to live in an aid-in-dying state
To the editor: Excellent work featuring reporter Marisa Gerber's story about the chosen death of Gabriella Walsh, who was terminally ill with cancer.
What a life she lived, and what a way to end it: on her owns terms, at her chosen time, believing in no fairy-tale afterlife to console her in death, and leaning lightly on the Earth's limited resources in life and death. I am jealous of her friends!
I hope I and others of my aging generation can be as courageous when our time comes, and I am fortunate to live in a state that allows death with dignity.
But I am also concerned that the U.S. Supreme Court will declare death-with-dignity laws un-Christian — I mean, unconstitutional.
Guy Hallman, Oceanside
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To the editor: Gabriella Walsh’s beautiful story highlighted the special role that death doulas play in the lives and deaths of their clients.
A death doula helps people prepare for the end of life, assisting with everything from advance care planning to sitting bedside during their dying process. It's clear that Gabriella’s doula was a wonderful support system for her and her loved ones.
Last year, Compassion & Choices submitted an amicus brief in support of Full Circle of Living and Dying, a collective of California death doulas. The group has filed a lawsuit against the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau, which is requiring them to meet the same licensing standards as funeral homes, which would drive many death doulas out of business and negatively impact dying Californians.
Doula services are different from those offered by a funeral home, and their knowledge is deeply important to the people they honor at the end of life.
Samantha Trad, Redlands
The writer is national director of care and advocacy for Compassion & Choices.
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To the editor: Thank you for the deeply reported article about Gabriella Walsh's final days. It was a pleasure to read.
However, her decision to drink life-ending poison comes off as somehow courageous. I don't get it. She chose to avoid a short future of pain and dependence, and no longer needs to justify her decision.
It was an exit ramp from an uncomfortable existence. Some parts of society laud this as "freedom."
I hope that if I receive a similar terminal diagnosis, I will have the courage to decline to drink the poison and instead end my days naturally, without rejecting the incomparable gift of life.
John D. Faucher, Oak Park
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
