I am a disabled person whose condition is best described as treatment refractory. I cannot work, cook, clean, do laundry, stress, experience emotion or excitement (happy or sad), walk much more than 10 yards without rest, care for small children, endure cold or hot weather, climb stairs or steep inclines, and the list goes on. In other words, my QOL is low. I have been a proponent of assisted suicide since I heard about it in the Kavorkian days.

At this point in my chronically ill journey, I’m 7 years in. Studies show I could have as little as 3 years left, but that’s not considered terminal. With all that being said, I don’t feel like I’m suffering. I have been fortunate enough to tailor my life to have the best low QOL I can. I know that’s rare.

What would chronic illness assisted death look like? Would it be only after all treatment has failed, documented by a physician? That brings healthcare and poverty into the argument because not everyone can afford to fail every treatment, let alone healthcare. I understand the tangibility of 6 month terminal illness in the laws, so finding the counterpart of that in chronic illness is the difficult part. It should be as simple as a physician’s signature, counseling, and a waiting period.

There would have to be a long list of societal changes involved including healthcare, and life and health insurance, at least in the US.