VSED–VRFF: The Barbara Grainger Case

75-year-old Barbara Grainger was diagnosed with motor neurone disease
in 2008.  She decided that, life with the disease would, for her, be intolerable.  Barbara had hoped for a quick and pain-free
death with lethal drugs in Switzerland.  But
the disease progressed so rapidly that she lost her ability to swallow before
her family could finalize arrangements.  (Belfast Telegraph)

So, Barbara instead opted for voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED)
also known as voluntary refusal of food and fluids (VRFF).  Unfortunately, Barbara’s cessation of food and
fluid was not complete, thus prolonging her death for 24 days.  In contrast, most VSED deaths occur within 10 to 14 days
after the patient stops intake of food and fluid. 

Yes, some patients may prefer physician aid-in-dying (PAID).  But VRFF-VSED is, as I have argued, a comfortable
and respected option.  Unfortunately,
many advocates of PAID legalization denigrate the benefits and over-emphasize
the risks of VSED-VRFF to accentuate the need for PAID.  After all, the availability of VSED-VRFF
lessens the need for PAID.  The
availability of multiple options weakens the case that any one option is needed.  

To be sure, PAID has some advantages over
VSED-VRFF, just as VSED-VRFF has some advantages over PAID.  This is preference sensitive medicine.  Proponents of PAID should not push for the
availability of one "exit option" at the expense of another.  Both options should be available.