Live with dignity

Brittany Maynard, of Oregon, would have had her 30th birthday on Nov. 19. Instead, she chose to self-ingest lethal medication on Nov. 1 to beat the terminal brain cancer and to die on her own terms. Maynard ended her life early because she wanted a death with dignity. My heart goes out to her because, agonizingly, she fell for the lies of the culture of death we live in today.

Maynard was afraid of being alive while having a tumor inhabit her brain; losing verbal, motor and cognitive function. She was in a difficult situation, and I can’t even begin to imagine the incredible hurt she felt.

Life is sacred and dignified, no matter what state.

A person is more than what they comprehend, what they can do or what they look like. Maynard was a person. She let her fears and lies of our culture cloud her judgment.

In our culture, human value has been diminished to utility, efficacy and functionality. We are being tricked into believing it is legally OK to kill the immature, weak and sick because they are reduced in value. It is time to stop the lies.

It is time to live with dignity.

Margot Loza

Moscow, Idaho