I’m replying to Lisa Beaudoin’s Feb. 13 My Turn column concerning HB 1283, the End-of-Life Options legislation currently pending in Concord. I am a 70-year-old NH resident. I’ve been disabled for five decades. I have never felt victimized by the healthcare system and have always felt free to make my own decisions about my care. While Ms. Beaudoin makes several salient points, I respectfully reject her conclusions. While purporting to protect people with disabilities, Ms. Beaudoin is actually denigrating my ability to make my own decisions. She characterizes medical aid in dying as a malevolent strategy of victimization abused by physicians, healthcare providers and insurance companies. These arguments are to me unproven and a bit insulting, as they suggest that as a disabled person, I somehow lack the ability to understand, make decisions, and speak for myself.

As a NH citizen, I demand the right to make my own informed healthcare decisions. As long as I am mentally capable, one of the many requirements to qualify for the option of medical aid in dying in HB 1283, I insist on the ability to make this ultimate decision for myself. Counter-arguments are interesting to ponder and ought to be considered, but, in the end, I should have the freedom to make my decision, as should anyone who meets the strict requirements of the bill.

Diane H. Gurien

Sandwich