I live in Oregon where assisted suicide is legal. In 2000, I was diagnosed with cancer and told I had six months to a year to live. I knew that our law had passed. Indeed, I had voted for it. But I didn’t know exactly how to go about doing it. I asked my doctor, but he didn’t really answer me.
My physician knew that my son was away attending the police academy. So on my third visit, he asked me how my son would feel if I went forward with my plan to end my life. I didn’t know what to say. I agreed to be treated. I had both chemotherapy and radiation.
I am so happy to be alive! It is now [15] years later. If my doctor had believed in assisted suicide, I would be dead. I thank him and all my doctors for helping me choose “life with dignity.” Assisted suicide should not be legal. Don’t make Oregon’s mistake.
Jeanette Hall lives in King City, Oregon, and has shared her story across the country with the hope that Oregon-style assisted suicide legislation will be rejected, and other lives will be saved.
