n December, the New York Times published a feature titled “Should You Be Able to Ask a Doctor to Help You Die?” It included the cases of several people who had chosen assisted dying, including Ron Curtis, who dealt with a degenerative spinal disease; Aaron Wade, who suffered from deep depression for three decades; and Denise de Ruijter, a young woman diagnosed with autism who had attempted suicide multiple times.
Photos of the deceased during their lives, mostly smiling, peppered the piece. These contrasted with the words used to describe their lives: “her suffering was unbearable,” “he didn’t want to live any more,” and “black hole” of chronic pain.
