Wrestling with the implications of Rusty Martin’s choice to die
As many readers know from a couple of guest essays I wrote in the Register, my beautiful wife, Jenna, and I have had own sad experience with Alzheimer’s.
Like Rusty Martin, Jenna was diagnosed by the excellent docs at Broadlawns. That was on Feb. 4, 2022. She passed away in January of this year, of Alzheimer’s. Her visitation was on Feb. 4, 2026, literally four years to the day of her diagnosis. So, yes, Rusty and Kay Meyer are 100% correct. It’s a) a terminal disease and b) it takes a long time to reach “terminal.”
I’m a little torn on the concept of “assisted suicide,” however, which sort of surprises even me. I start at, “This is not your call, Bob.” I do believe that. However, alternatively, in the practical world, I’ve seen with my own eyes the suffering, not just for Jenna but for our whole family. It’s rough, saying the least. Is “rough” enough for medically assisted suicide, though?
Maybe.
Then there’s the costs, which if Jenna would have known we were looking at an accumulated cost of nearly a half million dollars for excellent care at a long-term care facility … she being way more practical than I … may have opted for the same route as Rusty. We’ll never know. Her time is over here, anyway.
When Jenna was diagnosed, she was so classed as “moderate.” People who are moderate and/or severe are not capable of making the decision Rusty has made. So that decision, even had it been available, would’ve been moot for us.
One thing I will say to Kay and the children and all who loved Rusty, you will miss them more than you can even imagine now. But, in time, the love itself will cover that pain, and your memories will be happy ones. It’s still painful, but it’s the kind of pain the keeps the memories fresh.
God bless this family.
Robert Brownell, Urbandale
Medically assisted suicide programs cannot protect the vulnerable
I was so sad to hear about the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s for Rusty Martin. He was a familiar and friendly face at the State Capitol for many years. I recognize his struggles, his desire to live longer with dignity, and his fear that waiting would cost him to the opportunity to end his own life.
Yet.
Preserving the dignity of the suffering and dying cannot be achieved by public policy that proposes dignity for suicide.
The legalization of assisted suicide in Iowa would inevitably mean that some people who say they want to die will receive suicide prevention services, while others, including those with disabilities, will receive suicide assistance. The result would be a two-tiered system that respects the life of some and promotes the death of others.
Unfortunately, the demands of the financial bottom line, the burden of which almost always falls to the most vulnerable, has found some states with legal assisted suicide refuse to pay for some medical treatments while offering to pay for suicide. These financial interests can be very powerful when aligned against the vulnerable, especially if presented under the mantle of compassion. This has happened in Oregon and California where patients were refused coverage of life-saving treatment and offered lethal drugs instead.
Assisted suicide laws are neither good health care nor good public policy. The oversight contained in any proposed “doctor-prescribed suicide” legislation are inadequate to protect vulnerable individuals.
Tom Chapman, Urbandale
Medically assisted suicide can be compassionate
Yes, I believe we should have the right to choose medically assisted suicide. Our healthcare scare system continues to make families pay for care, and our care facilities are underfunded and understaffed. By making this decision, people can create positive memories and not remember years of pain and suffering of their loved one. Reproductive freedom and end-of-life decisions are ones we can make.
Karin Lawton-Dunn, Grimes
Coercion is a major risk with assisted suicide
Dementia is cruel. I know because my mother had vascular dementia. Aunts and uncles have had Alzheimer’s dementia. It robs people of levels of freedom and understanding, including how to deal well and safely with life’s complexities and beauty.
For a society, medically assisted suicide is cruel in another way. It pressures people. My mother was Roman Catholic and followed their teaching that suicide is a serious sin. Imagine a world where society’s resources are denied to the sick like my mother, where they are heavily pressured to “take one for the team,” where people with evil intent lie for fame and profit.
At its most extreme, imagine a “Soylent Green” world. I fear the motives of societies and governments when they decide coercion is acceptable far more than I fear a personal future where suffering must be endured to the end.
So, I fear the consequences of society allowing assisted suicide. Yes, I do.
John Harvey, Johnston
Give Iowans autonomy at the end of life
I’ve known Rusty Martin for decades, and he is a thoughtful, intelligent person. I believe he is fully capable of determining how long he wishes to live with the quality of life he has and can expect.
This is about autonomy: who gets to decide about their life’s most personal decision. The government is already intruding into places it really should not be. Let the Rustys of the world die in a way that preserves their dignity, and let them do it without needing to have the means to fly to Switzerland to do it.
Randy Bauer, Granger
We don’t make pets endure indefinite suffering
I do not understand why we make our people suffer, when we don’t make our animals suffer. We let your beloved pets die when we either know it is their time, or they tell us that it is, in whatever way they can.
My thoughts after reading Rusty Martin’s story solidified that I think death with dignity should be a viable option. Yes, there should be guardrails in place, but people should not be made to suffer and should have the option of dying with dignity.
Janine Plettner-Glodt, Des Moines
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Wrestling with implications of Rusty Martin’s choice to die | Letters
Reporting by The Register’s readers, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By The Register's readers, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
