Mother of Brittany Maynard fires back after Vatican criticism

[Warren Stupidity]

Deborah Ziegler took aim at the Vatican in an online letter posted Tuesday, the first time anyone from the family has commented since her daughter's death.

"Such strong public criticism from people we do not know, have never met, is more than a slap in the face. It is like kicking us as we struggle to draw a breath," the letter stated. "The right to die for the terminally ill is a human rights issue. Plain and simple. The imposition of 'belief' on a human rights issue is wrong."

...

"Assisted suicide is an absurdity," Monsignor Ignacio Carrasco de Paula said. "Dignity is something different to putting an end to your own life. Society does not want to shoulder the cost of disease, and this risks becoming the solution."

On Saturday, Pope Francis also condemned euthanasia at a meeting with the Association of Italian Catholic Doctors, saying it instilled a false sense of compassion and is a sin against God. The pontiff did not specifically name Maynard in his comments.
...

http://www.live5news.com/story/27427422/mother-of-brittany-maynard-fires-back-after-vatican-criticism

In the Mom vs God choice, I'll go with "Mom". At least Deborah Ziegler exists.

[safeinOhio]

1. The Pope seems a bit

superstitious to me.

[Xipe Totec]

2. Even Christ commited suicide - Death by auto Pilate nt

[Ampersand Unicode]

5. You nailed it!

(Couldn't find a smiley for rim shot. Closest thing.)

[awoke_in_2003]

6. I work at a flight training center...

last year one of our instructors came to the Halloween party dressed in a toga and carrying a flight bag. Nobody guessed what who he was (Pontius Pilot)

[rug]

3. This is the full letter.

I am Brittany Maynard’s mother. I am writing in response to a variety of comments made in the press and online by individuals and institutions that have tried to impose their personal belief system on what Brittany and our family feel is a human rights issue.

The imposition of “belief” on a human rights issue is wrong. To censure a personal choice as reprehensible because it does not comply with someone else’s belief is immoral. My twenty-nine-year-old daughter’s choice to die gently rather than suffer physical and mental degradation and intense pain does not deserve to be labeled as reprehensible by strangers a continent away who do not know her or the particulars of her situation.

Reprehensible is a harsh word. It means: “very bad; deserving very strong criticism.” Reprehensible is a word I’ve used as a teacher to describe the actions of Hitler, other political tyrants and the exploitation of children by pedophiles. As Brittany Maynard’s mother, I find it difficult to believe that anyone who knew her would ever select this word to describe her actions. Brittany was a giver. She was a volunteer. She was a teacher. She was an advocate. She worked at making the world a better place to live.

This word was used publicly at a time when my family was tender and freshly wounded. Grieving. Such strong public criticism from people we do not know, have never met – is more than a slap in the face. It is like kicking us as we struggle to draw a breath.

People and institutions that feel they have the right to judge Brittany’s choices may wound me and cause me unspeakable pain but they do not deter me from supporting my daughter’s choice. There is currently a great deal of confusion and arrogance standing in the way of Americans going gently into the good night. I urge Americans to think for themselves. Make your wishes clear while you are competent. Make sure that you have all the options spelled out for you if you are diagnosed with an incurable, debilitating, painful disease. Do your own research. Ask your family to research and face the harsh reality with you. Ask your doctor to be brutally honest with you. Then make your personal choice about how you will proceed. It is YOUR choice.

The “culture of cure” has led to a fairy tale belief that doctors can always fix our problems. We have lost sight of reality. All life ends. Death is not necessarily the enemy in all cases. Sometimes a gentle passing is a gift. Misguided doctors caught up in an aspirational belief that they must extend life, whatever the cost, cause individuals and families unnecessary suffering. Brittany stood up to bullies. She never thought anyone else had the right to tell her how long she should suffer. The right to die for the terminally ill is a human rights issue. Plain and simple.

Debbie Ziegler

Brittany’s Momma

http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/brittany-maynards-mom-defends-her-daughters-choice-die

[AtheistCrusader]

7. In her grief, she has found strength.

Much stronger and more dignified than I am.
A good example of humanity.

[Dorian Gray]

8. A beautiful

and strongly worded letter.

Thanks for posting it in full.

[trotsky]

4. Good for her.

The pope and his band of lackeys can STFU. They don't get to make decisions for the rest of us - no matter how much they want to.