Testimony for DE HB160
Testimony given before the House Committee on Health and Human Development for the End of Life Options Act
June 7, 2017
I am the Rev. Cynthia E. Robinson. I am the pastor of the New Ark United Church of Christ in Newark, DE. My knowledge and experience about end of life options comes from personal and professional experience as a church pastor ministering to a congregation. Nearly 8 years ago, in Milford, CT, I officiated at the memorial service of a 79 year old man who took his life. For thirty years he had lived with various cancers: bladder, skin, stomach, and intestinal. He could no longer eat solid food but instead received nutrition through a tube into his stomach. His life was no longer his own; the cancers were overwhelming his body. He had been in the army and engineer. He had been married to his wife for over 54 years. They had 4 grown daughters. This was a proud man. As much as he suffered physical pain from these cancers, it was his dignity that suffered.
He was told that he could refuse the nutritional tube and be given medication to ameliorate the pain that comes with starvation. But it could take a month or more for him to die and he simply wanted his suffering to end. There was nothing medically available that would extend his life or improve his quality of life. He knew that the costs for his care would only increase and he would die anyway.
He and his wife had discussed and made every decision in their marriage except for the last one. He finagled a ride from the nursing facility to his home with his youngest daughter. While she was occupied, he went into the bedroom, found his handgun and ammunition in the top dresser drawer. His daughter had left the keys in the car, as they were only making a brief stop. He drove the car to a local park and wrote a brief note to his family. He walked into the woods with his gun, sat down next to a tree and leaned his head against it, so if the bullet exited his head, it would be lodged in the tree, not harming any innocent hikers nearby. He chose not to end his life in the car because it would now be an asset to his wife, his widow. In his actions he sought only to end his own suffering, not to cause pain or waste. And yet it had a profound effect on his wife. 18 months later I officiated at her memorial service.
It is my belief that if this beloved husband and father had been allowed to have medical assistance in dying, he would not have felt that an aggressive ending was his only option. Rather than keeping this choice from his family, he could’ve included them in the decision, along with his physician and me, his pastor. Rather than resorting to a violent end, he could’ve had a peaceful, pain-free ending to his life. Rather than dying alone, he could have died with his loved ones around him, holding him until it was time to let go. Rather than causing trauma to his family and loved ones, his death could’ve been a comforting, cherished memory of intimacy and authenticity.
This act would not result in more people dying but in fewer people suffering. I urge you to support this act and to work for its passage, so that Delawareans who have come to the end of their days may have an option to meet that end with dignity and surrounded by love.
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