Health

1,000 Words: The right-to-die party

Bob CollinsBob Collins Aug 11, 2016
4

Betsy Davis took her own life about a month after a California law took effect that declared that she had a right to. She had ALS, and so she gathered her friends for a two-day party that ended with her under a hillside canopy, saying goodbye to the friends who showed up.

The Associated Press has the story.

This July 24, 2016 photo provided by Niels Alpert, Betsy Davis, center, is accompanied by friends and family for her first ride in a friends new Tesla to a hillside to end her life during a "Right To Die Party" in Ojai, Calif. In early July, Davis emailed her closest friends and family to invite them to a two-day celebration, telling them: "These circumstances are unlike any party you have attended before, requiring emotional stamina, centeredness, and openness. And one rule: No crying. " The 41-year-old woman diagnosed with ALS, held the party to say goodbye before becoming one of the first California residents to take life-ending drugs under a new law that gave such an option to the terminally ill. (Niels Alpert via AP) This July 24, 2016 photo provided by Niels Alpert, Amanda Friedland, left, surrounded by friends and family adjusts her friend Betsy Davis's sash as she lays on a bed during her "Right To Die Party" in Ojai, Calif. In early July, Davis emailed her closest friends and family to invite them to a two-day celebration, telling them: "These circumstances are unlike any party you have attended before, requiring emotional stamina, centeredness, and openness. And one rule: No crying." The 41-year-old woman diagnosed with ALS, held the party to say goodbye before becoming one of the first California residents to take life-ending drugs under a new law that gave such an option to the terminally ill. (Niels Alpert via AP)