DC's Right-to-Die Bill Getting Push From Brittany Maynard's Widower

The widower of Brittany Maynard will be in D.C. on Thursday to advocate for a right-to-die bill in the District.

Maynard, who had terminal brain cancer, made headlines when she moved from California to Oregon so she could legally take life-ending drugs. She died in 2014 at age 29. California has since approved a right-to-die law. 

Now the D.C. Council is considering the legislation that would allow patients with 6 months or less to live to request lethal medication from their doctors.

Physician-assisted death is legal in five states, and several others are considering legislation. 

Maynard's widower, Dan Diaz, will join Democratic D.C. Council member Mary Cheh and other advocates at a news conference Thursday to push for the bill.

Some medical and religious groups oppose the legislation.

Diaz has said his wife did not have second thoughts about her decision.

"The weeks leading up to Brittany's death, her symptoms were getting bad," he said on "The Meredith Vieira Show." "Brittany's seizures were getting worse, they were getting more intense, they were becoming more frequent." 

He said Maynard could have lost her eyesight and her inability to speak, and would have become paralyzed if they'd allowed the cancer to progress.

"You don't want to let go of your loved one, but to suggest that she should suffer for me, for anyone -- no," Diaz said on the show.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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