This article was published by Not Dead Yet on September 4, 2024.
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| Anita Cameron (center) |
Directory of Minority Outreach, Not Dead Yet
Two weeks ago I went to the ER in extreme pain. Normally, I live with level ten pain. I’ve gotten used to it. In a flare, I’ve learned not to moan or cry out.
But this pain, which started out as a small annoyance, spread and went down my spine, then, into my chest and abdomen, became unbearable. I had to go to the ER.
I’m usually treated as a drug seeker when I go in, even though I’m allergic to all opioids and opiates. But blood tests showed cardiac enzymes in my blood and they admitted me.
While in hospital, I experienced a frightening event. My pain level was so high that it caused my blood pressure to skyrocket to 240/120. The pain was so bad that it was literally putting stress on my heart and my heart was about to give out. There were at least 10 doctors and nurses in the room, working to get my pain level, and thus, my blood pressure, down. In desperation, doctors decided to give me Dilaudid, a medication that I am allergic to, and Benadryl, than risk me having a heart attack.
I didn’t realize pain could do that to one’s body.
Even with the unrelenting pain that I have been going through, I still don’t want to die. I want my doctors to think outside the box, as they did that day. They tried other pain meds, which did nothing, then, made the decision to give me a pain medicine that I’m allergic to because they could deal with the allergic reaction; they could not deal with me having a heart attack.
If people are afraid of dying in pain, why not fight for better access to pain management and palliative care so that this won’t happen? This tells me that it’s not about dying in pain, it’s about the right to die, itself, and the proponents are so into themselves that they cannot recognize that assisted suicide laws put people in danger. The right to die becomes the duty to die, especially if you are from a marginalized community.
Now, having experienced pain that can take my life, I’m on a mission to keep that pain at bay. But, in doing so, I’m exposing myself to the racist practices of pain clinics that refuse to prescribe opioid and opiates to their patients. Black women, especially, are not given correct amounts of effective pain medications to manage our pain. I asked my doctor to indicate in my records that I live with pain, and what happened when the pain got too bad. It was explained to me that until I’m assigned a doctor, no one will see that information, meaning that as usual, because I’m Black, I’ll be treated as a drug seeker even though I’m allergic to almost everything.
Why do assisted suicide proponents fight for assisted suicide while saying that they support palliative care and pain management? Because once again, it’s not about pain or the fear of it. It about the right to die. They use fear of pain as the catch, to bring you in because nobody wants to die in pain, but it’s really about them not wanting to be disabled because they feel that is undignified. They don’t want to live the life of being disabled, so they use pain as an excuse to push their right to die agenda.
Even as I was going through this incredible pain, I wasn’t thinking, “let me die”. I was thinking, “stop this pain so I don’t die”! I was literally thinking, “I don’t want assisted suicide, I want pain-free, or at least, manageable pain that can be addressed.”
When whole communities of marginalized people aren’t getting the healthcare we need, access to pain treatment that isn’t steeped in racism, and cardiac, diabetes, cancer and other treatments that aren’t steeped in racism, how can you support assisted suicide?
As this is normalized, meaning more and more states pass assisted suicide laws, we’re going to see a frightening trend of marginalized people requesting assisted suicide because they were “convinced” that it’s a good thing by family members or doctors.
As long as there are marginalized communities who deal with healthcare disparities, there is no place for assisted suicide anywhere in this country.
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5 comments:
Dont forget, the elderly are a marginalized group. And the marginalization begins long before you turn 65. As soon as you can longer sprint to the assigned gate at an airport terminal, read the signs or floor markings, or make out the muffled overhead announcements; if you struggle to figure out how to verify your identity using a QR code, or to type sufficiently fast with your arthritic hands to keep up in a “chat” with a “customer service” robot…you are experiencing marginalization. Your participation in the mainstream of life becomes fraught with small but irritating obstacles. People lose patience, they no longer see you as “one of us”. And as we are increasingly required to interact with the world on digital platforms designed by and for digital natives, we find there is also no room in these intereactions for understanding, help, or empathy. And so isolation and marginalization exacerbate the natural diminshments aging brings.
Remember this, because for all of us, no matter our age or ability, our aging will inevitably put us on the road to marginalization.
Amen let’s start fighting for the right to live for all elderly ,weak ,those who have limitations, the unborn , euthanasia is now being pushed by who those who should be protected if someone seeks medical attention so they won’t die why does some well meaning start pushing death .If someone wanted to die they won’t be calling an ambulance or going to emergency.It is not someone else’s duty to be promoting death by euthanasia on staff in hospitals they are there to save life not destroy it my thoughts đź’ Marlyen
Well said Joy2
I agree with both of you and as a. deafblind person who has experienced extreme eye pain . Not because there was no pain medication I just wasn’t offered it and this is more like to happen in a state wishing to promote death.
The last sentence should simply say "There is no place for assisted suicide anywhere " Whether or not someone is marginalized and whether or not there are healthcare disparities, for all - assisted suicide is wrong.
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