Ann Neumann advocates for ‘Right to Die’

By Katie KrahulikSpecial to the Chronicle On Thursday night, philosopher, author and established journalist Ann Neumann spoke to students, administrators and locals in the Multipurpose Room, advocating the human “right to die.” Neumann is a visiting scholar at New York University in The Center for Religion and Media as well as a contributing editor to The Revealer where she studies the conflict and relationship between religion and medicine. Neumann presented a point-of-view that she will formally present in her upcoming book, “The Good Death: An Exploration of Dying in America,” which will be published in January of 2016. She gave some context about the root of her passion for the subject with a tragic story about the passing of her father after a 10-year battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Neumann explained how upon first discovery of her father’s condition, she’d had an unrealistic perception of what his passing would be like. She’d assumed that it would be as subtle and bittersweet as movies always made it out to seem. Yet, anyone who has witnessed what chemotherapy entails understands the unfortunate trials and tribulations that come with it. “The dirty sheets, the drugs, the failing body, the puke, the feces, the depression, the falls and the emotional tolls” were some things that Neumann grew to know all too well. Her lack of knowledge and preparation for this traumatic digression scarred her. She began to question why she was so naive to the matter. This resulted in an investigation of epic proportions. Over the course of her investigation, Neumann studied and analyzed different sources that may have caused this common misconception surrounding death to exist. She decided to start volunteering for hospice. During Neumann’s time there she talked with patients, doctors, family members and researchers. It was then that she realized she wasn’t alone in her confusion and angst. Neumann discussed a major problem with death in this day and age – it’s gradual. She explained that modern technology and innovation has led to advances in medicine, which elongates the dying process. Inventions like the defibrillator, respirators and life support have changed the definition of death, since people can still be living, even without a cooperative heart. Rather than endure the endless pain and suffering, Neumann pointed out that many people would prefer to die. According to Neumann, those people have the right to die. “So why can’t they?” she questioned. After years of research, studying religion, medicine and the law, she found her answer. She provided three significant examples of cases in which young women were deprived of their right to die due to different complications regarding either the Roman Catholic Church, the United States legislature or medical prevention. Due to this, euthanasia is a luxury of which Americans are being robbed, she said. “We don’t die well and we need to change it, and that is the main message I hope that listeners will take away from all of this,” Neumann said. When asked whether she sought change regarding the legalities of the issue, or in the social and religious arenas, she answered, “All of them. I really think that as a society we just need to grapple with what dying means and with the disconnect between how we die and how we think we die. So if I could, I would make everyone volunteer for hospice for a month or two months just to get an understanding of what happens to the body, and that knowledge would change the way we legislated end-of-life laws, the ways that we talk about death and dying with our family members and just how we prepare for it.” Neumann continued to talk about her experience, “Death is not scary. It’s the most common thing. It is natural. So, to run from it, to hide it, to institutionalize it, and to not address it we are really just not serving those who are dying.” Neumann suggested ways for us as students and young people to help alleviate the problem. “Go volunteer for hospice,” she said. “Ask all the right questions. Talk to your family members about what you want. The three cases that I discussed today were all young people, so your family members should know what your choices are, and this in many ways is a very personal conversation to have with your family and it brings you closer.”