Give the option of medical aid in dying

I was recently diagnosed with cancer. This is not my first experience with illness; I spent 40 years as a registered nurse in the Arlington Heights area and witnessed firsthand the pain and suffering caused by life-threatening diseases like cancer and ALS.

Now retired, I face my own struggle. I am currently undergoing chemo after surgery for breast cancer. If my doctors ultimately determine that I am terminally ill, I want medical aid in dying as an option to pass peacefully.

Knowing the unbearable pain that may lie ahead for me and other Illinoisans who are suffering from terminal illnesses, why should we be forced to endure a prolonged dying process?

I firmly believe that Illinois residents should have the option, in consultation with their doctors and loved ones, to make the end-of-life care decisions that are right for them in the final stages of a terminal illness. These options should include the legal option to obtain prescription medication they can take to end their dying process peacefully if their suffering becomes unbearable. I am by no means alone in this viewpoint.

Currently, 10 states and Washington, D.C., allow medical aid in dying; those jurisdictions comprise over 22% of the population, meaning more than one in five people have this compassionate option.

Marge Olszewski

Schaumburg