And for elderly patients living alone or in institutions, poverty and isolation worsen the fear and suffering they naturally feel as they face the end of their lives. In the wake of the Supreme Court s decision, the debate will shift to the states. But the legalization of physician-assisted suicide is a particularly dangerous proposition unless fundamental changes are made in the care of the dying. It is our cultural denial of death that lies beneath this emotionally charged debate. If you ask an American how he would like to die, he will typically tell you how he doesn t want to die.
People don t want to die in pain.
They don t want to die alone. They don t want to become a burden to their families. Our culture s perspective on dying seems entirely defined by what we fear, utterly devoid of the color and texture of life. Over the past 18 years, hospice patients have taught me that dying is, most simply, a part of living. As bleak as the possibilities for dying well in America may look, solutions are well within our reach.