Brittany Maynard and the “Death with Dignity” Movement

Brittany Maynard ended her life on Saturday after what she called a “brief but solid 29 years.” Diagnosed with a stage 4 malignant brain tumor, she had moved to Oregon, where the law allows people to “die with dignity.” In an op-ed on CNN, Maynard said, “Because the rest of my body is young and healthy, I am likely to physically hang on for a long time even though cancer is eating my mind.” She said she wanted to spare her family that “nightmare scenario.” Peg Sanden is Executive Director of the Death with Dignity National Center.