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Compassion in Dying: Stories of Dignity and Choice

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This is a marvelous book, beautifully written, thoughtful and sensitive. The various stories by and about people helped by Compassion are wonderfully told and very moving. The introductory chapter, "A Death of One's Own" is one of the best statements I've ever read on this subject. The book is a very valuable contribution to the literature and to the public debate on end of life choices.

Nurse-clinician and attorney, author Barbara Coombs Lee presents case histories of terminally ill patients, in an unblinking, sympathetic and uplifting way. She also tells the story of Oregon's remarkable law, first in the U.S. to permit physician aid-in-dying. The book provides a breath of air in a society stifled with violent media overload and morbid curiosity about death, but little support in handling the actuality. It should reassure Americans that taking control of life's ending is not only possible and practical, but life-enhancing for the individual concerned, the family, and the community. John Ashcroft doesn't get it, but this approach actually prevents impulsive, desperation suicide and prolongs meangingful life for many, because they have compassionate medical support.

Barbara Coombs Lee, editor
Compassion in Dying:
Stories of Dignity and Choice

(Troutdale, OR: NewSage Press, 2003) 137 pages
(ISBN: 0-939165-49-X; paperback)
(Library of Congress call number: not given in book)

Barbara Coombs Lee (when she put this book together)
was President of the Compassion in Dying Federation.
Later this organization was merged with End-of-Life Choices
to form Compassion & Choices, which she now serves as President.

This book consists mostly of several stories of patients in Oregon
who chose to shorten the process of their dying
using the Oregon Death with Dignity Act.
Usually a picture of the person or whole family begins each story.
And often family members give their own accounts
of the complex processes that ultimately led to a decision for voluntary death.
All of the statements written by others support the decision for death.

Oregon was the first state that allows physicians
to prescribe drugs for patients to take
to bring their lives to a peaceful and painless end.
This book is probably the only book so far to tell their stories.

(In 2009, Washington state also authorized the use of life-ending drugs.)

When many of these deaths took place,
Oregon was in the national news
because of its controversial right-to-die law.
Thus, some of the patients were given considerable news coverage
for their decisions to shorten the process of their dying
--to choose a timely death.

But all of these deaths seem to have been wisely decided,
based on the information provided in this book.
The patients were all in the process of dying from well-known diseases.
And their doctors agreed to write prescriptions for life-ending drugs
so that they would not have to suffer longer than necessary.
Some of the people profiled in this book
had the lethal drugs on hand in case they were needed
but decided to let nature take its course.
They died from natural causes
without taking the drugs prescribed for voluntary death.

This book also contains interesting contributions
provided by Compassion-in-Dying volunteers and staff members.
And there is a time-line describing the many steps
in the complicated process of winning the right-to-die in Oregon.

Since this book's publication in 2003, many more Oregonians
have taken advantage of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act.
And there are more steps to add to the chronicle of securing the right-to-die.
Thus we can hope for a new and expanded version of this book in the future.
We want more stories of people who rationally chose voluntary death.
Since we must all die our own deaths,
we can learn from others who have already faced death
and made wise life-ending decisions.

If you would like to discover other books in favor of chosen death,
search the Internet for the following bibliography:
"Best Books on Voluntary Death".

James Leonard Park, advocate of the right-to-die with careful safeguards.