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Nov 18, 2018Nursebob rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Following the lives (and deaths) of a handful of Oregonians who chose to take advantage of Oregon's "Death with Dignity" act, as well as their families, Peter Richardson’s intimate documentary doesn’t set out to expose the pros and cons of a medically assisted death but instead focuses on the choice itself and what it means to people who are facing a future of suffering and pain. One woman keeps setting her death date back as her terminal liver cancer goes in and out of quiescence. An 84-year old man calmly records his own eulogy in a rich baritone. A Seattle widow honours her late husband’s dying wish by trying to pass a similar bill in Washington State. And even though Richardson does give some air time to those opposed to the idea of doctors prescribing fatal doses of barbiturates (the law states that patients must be able to take the oral medication themselves) his sympathies obviously lie with those people who have come to know that in life there are sometimes things worse than death—a realization which sheds a whole new light on the medical credo, “Do No Harm”. An emotional experience regardless of which side of the debate you happen to be on.