Editorial Board

Social media has been abuzz with the story of 29-year-old newlywed Brittany Maynard, who was diagnosed with brain cancer and told she had six months to live in April.

With the grim prognosis, the Maynard family moved to Portland, Oregon, to obtain two bottles of lethal pills, which Maynard will take on Nov. 1.

“I don’t want to die,” Maynard told NBC News. “But I am dying. Death with Dignity is the phrase I’m comfortable using. I am choosing to go in a way that is with less suffering and less pain.”

Members of The Spectator Editorial Board agree that Death with Dignity should be a universal option.

One member who supports Death with Dignity said it should, “100 percent be a thing,” especially for individuals who are ill with no signs of recovery. With a critical illness, the member said treatment is a waste of time and Death with Dignity would enable doctors to spend more time on other patients that are not terminally ill.

The rising costs of healthcare led another member to support Death with Dignity. The member said Death with Dignity would eliminate the individual leaving behind a financial burden from medical treatment.

“They can continue to treat her but it’s not going to work,” another member said about the costs of healthcare. “When she is gone all that will be left is bills.”

In the case of Maynard, an Editorial Board member said she is giving a gift to her family because the injection will eliminate any long-term suffering, and the family will be able to remember her in a positive way.

With Death with Dignity an option in only five states, multiple members said this law should spread and become an option in additional states.

“Anyone should have the choice to do something like this if they are terminally ill,” one member said.