‘Right to Die’ Is A Global Issue: Debbie Purdy, 51, Dead In Great Britain

“The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.”

These prophetic words by cowboy and comedian Will Rogers Sr. were stated three-quarters of a century before his own son, Will Rogers Jr., committed suicide by gun on a remote road after suffering two cerebrovascular accidents and a painful hip surgery. Life is often said to imitate art, so his father’s words may hold a different meaning today then when originally stated.

Indeed, death seems to get more complicated as time goes on – and some may say lawmakers have a part to play in that. Physician-assisted suicide continues to be a controversial and divisive topic. According to US News and World Report, just five states in the U.S. have enacted “right to die” laws. But the United States is not the only country to encounter this ethical and legal dilemma. Great Britain and New Zealand have faced similar challenges.

The death of long-time British right-to-death advocate Debbie Purdy last week highlighted the global challenge of lawmakers to examine this controversial issue. According to Newsmax, Mrs. Purdy died last week in Hospice care in Great Britain after a long legal battle to legally end her life. Debbie Purdy had multiple sclerosis and was unable to leave her wheelchair, enduring significant pain everyday. Newsmax also stated that she had considered flying to Switzerland to end her life, where assisted suicide is legal, but was afraid her husband would be criminally prosecuted for accompanying her.

The chief executive of the organization Dignity in Dying, Sarah Wootton, called Purdy a “valued campaigner and friend.”

“Debbie wanted choice and control over her death should she consider her suffering unbearable. Ultimately she was seeking peace of mind that her wishes would be respected, but also crucially that her decisions would not result in the potential imprisonment of her husband.”

It is unclear exactly how Mrs. Purdy died, although she was under the care of hospice at a clinic in Britain at the time of her death last week.

A heavily publicized case in the U.S. recently involved the death of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman who chose when and how she would die after being diagnosed with a rare brain tumor that would likely render her helpless and in severe pain. The Portland, Oregon woman died after a she took a physician-ordered overdose of barbituates, a controlled substance that slows breathing to the point of stopping it, when taken in excess. Her death was said to have appeared to be painless and just as she wished it to be. Maynard, who had been very vocal about her wishes to die on her terms, had said her choice was not about dying, but about choosing how to live. Her last words to the public were via Facebook.

“Goodbye to all my dear friends and family that I love. Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness, this terrible brain cancer that has taken so much from me … but would have taken so much more. The world is a beautiful place, travel has been my greatest teacher, my close friends and folks are the greatest givers. I even have a ring of support around my bed as I type … Goodbye world. Spread good energy. Pay it forward!”

While there are many advocate groups for the right to die, there are as many oppositional groups, who believe that assisted suicide is not necessary, as terminal illness pain can be managed with proper medication.

According to Time, the median age of a person who ends their life via physician-assisted suicide is 71-years-old and the vast majority have a malignant, or cancerous, tumor.