I am dying. I am very slowly drowning, my lungs unable to get enough oxygen. It’s not the amount of oxygen in the air that’s the problem, it’s that my diseased lungs cannot process it. I cannot sleep or eat properly. I am constantly on edge. My nerves are shot. When you can’t breathe, nothing else matters much.

I am going crazy with this constant feeling of drowning. It’s like the “water boarding” torture, except that it goes on and on and on. The doctors have told me that nothing can be done. It will only get worse. Get worse???

If we were talking about your pet, what would you do? If you have any compassion at all, you would take it to the vet and gently “put it to sleep”, peacefully.

But for me? Because I am human, you believe I should endure this. You have laws to keep doctors from helping me pass easily. You even have laws preventing them from telling me know how I might do it myself without pain. Do you have no mercy?!

You force me to choose to either die very, very slowly, or get it over with quickly using violent and painful means. Why? Why? How can you feel justified in forcing me to be in such pain for as long as possible? The outcome will be the same. Does your religion tell you to be this sadistic?

I hope that when it’s your time, you are allowed better choices.

[name withheld]

To be free to live, you have to be free not to.
For more information visit Compassion and Choices.

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