The topic of assisted suicide is sweeping across social media. A 29-year-old woman is fighting a brain tumor that will eventually kill her.

She has moved to Oregon, a state that allows people in her situation to take a medicine that will kill them.  She plans on taking her own life two days after her husband’s October 30th birthday.

Maynard’s Story: 29-year-old woman: Why I’m taking my own life

Her case has stirred up discussion in East Tennessee and the so-called “right to die” laws.

In Tennessee, if you are charged with helping someone take their own life, it’s a class D felony.

Dennis Francis is a Knoxville attorney. He said assisted suicide is not often brought up. In fact, he only knows two cases that have referred to the topic.

“It requires an affirmative act and requires an intentional act to help that person end their life,” said Francis.

The reason we are talking about this now is because of a decision by Brittany Maynard, a woman receiving national attention.
She is moving to Oregon to take her life before her brain cancer does.

“I can’t tell you the amount of relief that it provides me to know that I don’t have to die the way that it has been described to me that my brain tumor would take me,” said Maynard.

In Tennessee, the only way an assisted suicide can be considered legal is through DNR or “Do Not Resuscitate.”

“You can withhold food. You can withhold sustenance, and a person can die a natural death. That is not a violation of the assisted suicide. So if someone has a DNR for the medical profession, it is not a crime or offense,” said Francis.

Dr. Greg Phelps works at a hospice and sees people near the end of their lives. He said there is a campaign they are pushing for now called Conversation Ready. It allows people to live out their remaining days by their own plans.

Phelps said it gives people comfort during painful times.

“Make sure that you have said how you would want the last part of your life to go. The death at the end is sort of incidental to making sure they were comfortable and able to say their goodbyes,” said Phelps.

As for Tennessee, there is no foreseeable future becoming a state that allows medical intervention for suicide. Francis said the topic gets tricky.

“The discussion becomes though where does the power of the state start and stop. It’s a bit contradictory that the state can put you to death under the death penalty, but if you so choose to end your own life for hopefully what are compelling reasons, you are precluded from doing that and anyone that assists you is facing several years in a penitentiary,” said Francis.

Conversation Ready is a program set up by Knoxville Academy of Medicine and the East Tennessee Quality Alliance.