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Texas Death With Dignity
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Texas Death with Dignity advocates for end of life options and supports an aid in dying law in Texas, based on the Oregon Death with Dignity Act. We believe that every effort should be made to improve and expand hospice and palliative care in our state. However, we also believe that end of life care should be patient centered and if a competent adult patient who is terminally ill and facing a protracted and inevitable death would like to access physician assisted dying to avoid unendurable suffering, they should have the right to do so.
We advocate through presentations, our Facebook page, media interviews and through newspaper opinion articles and Letters to the Editor.
We need your help to get legislation passed in Texas. If you agree that Texas should have a death with dignity law, please contact your state representative and state senator and ask them to support a physician assisted dying law.
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E-mail us at Info@TexasDeathWithDignity.org for more information
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Invite us to speak at your organization
I have C-PTSD and chronic epilepsy. I have had almost everything normal taken away from me. I would like to end my life. Not depressed I can’t deal with the auras and healthcare is impossible here. To see a proper neurologist is to far I’ve lived with epilepsy for 10 years going on 11 it started at adolescence. I am ready for this to be over. I can’t have a normal future like this.
Meme, I am so sorry that you have been dealing with these on going medical challenges. We will tell you what we always tell people who write us. Even though you say you are not depressed, have you ever been diagnosed with chronic depression? If not, medications might help you. If you are a competent adult, you certainly have the right to make your own medical decisions. You will have to talk with your doctor if you want to stop all nutrition and hydration and die. You would need to find out if he would be your palliative care doctor during the process. You will need 24/7 care during the process. One usually dies between 3-21 days but fall unconscious after about 4 days. You will need to find out what your doctor would put on your death certificate. If he puts suicide then you have a problem. It will impact your life insurance, if you have any, and it puts your family at risk. In Texas it is not illegal to voluntarily stop eating and drinking but some doctors, especially if you are not terminally ill, will consider it suicide. Others do not because they see it you withholding “treatment”. Look on our website for Hastening One’s Death for more information. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. TDWD
I am truly impressed by your compassionate, thoughtful, and helpful responses to these posts. My wife has Stage IV Kidney Cancer and she is in a great deal of pain. She’s been hospitalized 3 times in the last 3 weeks. The pain meds knock her out and she sleeps 20 hours a day when on the meds and is cognitively impaired when not taking the meds as well as in pain without the meds. She doesn’t want to live like this. We’re working with the many doctors right now trying to figure out what the future holds, but if she can’t be active then she doesn’t want to slowly suffer until death. She’d rather go quickly.
Thank you for your kind words, Gene. I am so sorry that your wife is going through this very difficult medical challenge. If her doctor has determined that she is terminally ill and is within six months of dying and your wife wants to hasten her death, she could consider several options. The two of you could move temporarily to one of the states which allows medical aid in dying or she could remain at home under hospice care and begin VSED, the voluntary stopping of eating and drinking. She would need a palliative care doctor to oversee the process. Our website has a section called Hastening One’s Death and you can obtain more information there. If you need to reach out to us, you can email us at info@texasdeathwithdignity.org. We are so sorry for what you and your family are also going through. TDWD
Hello, I am 27 years old and I would enjoy dying. I do not have any ambition in this world, and I am tired of so-called medical professionals interjecting in a decision that should be mine and mine alone. Is the bureaucratic aspect of this so twisted that we believe that every individual needs to be reformed? Have you not assessed the state of our world? It is absolutely ridiculous that I must be terminally ill in order to qualify. 27 is not too young. I have no prospects here. I do not look forward to doing anything in life. Let me die in a fashion that will allow me to comfortably leave this place.
Weston, I am so sorry that you have come to this conclusion. You have such passion for the right to die. Don’t squander your passion. Get involved with Compassion and Choices and help get this law passed in Texas. Yes, it would only be for the terminally ill but I believe you may be depressed and by working to help dying people obtain the option to choose medical aid in dying, you would find yourself on a different trajectory in life. You would find a purpose and like minded people to work with. Please do not give up on life. Frankly, most people do not have ambitions but they find something that will pay the bills and then focus on their hobbies or other interests. You are too young to give up. Please help us get this law passed in Texas by volunteering for Compassion and Choices. Find them on their website and let them know we referred you to them. If they don’t get back to you, let us know. TDWD
I am doing a “bill proposal” project for my TX government class, and I decided to do it about physician-assisted death. Do you know if anything in regards to physician-assisted death has been proposed at the state level in legislative sessions? From what I’ve researched so far, it seems that senators/representatives have never proposed a bill about it.
You are correct, Mia. No bill has ever been proposed to my knowledge. The conservatives are still too powerful to allow such a bill to get out of committee and to my knowledge no bill has ever been drafted.
However, the student division of the Texas Medical Association did propose a resolution to support a medical aid in dying law in Texas. However it was voted down and the TMA still opposes such law. However this had never been done before so I believe as younger doctors take over the leadership, this will change. Good luck with your project. Cindy Merrill, co-founder of Texas Death with Dignity
Hello I was almost done working on a ph.d. vice president of a manufacturing company. I have a masters in engineering. I had a slip and fall in my home and now disabled. I am cared for by my mother. I can no longer drive or work. Do I or can I qualify for assistance from a medical profession for the right to die. Liza2289@sbcglobal.net
I am so sorry that you had this terrible accident, Anna, and I am so sorry I have been tardy in responding to your question. First I would urge you to talk with your doctor about seeing a therapist for depression. A disabled person can find many meaningful activities if they know where to look. A therapist should help you with this. If you are determined to hasten your death, then a doctor would have to determine that you are terminally ill and within six months of dying. If you are, you would have to go to one of the states that allows medical aid in dying. Texas does not have such a law. If you are not within six months of dying, you should talk to your doctor about starting the process of voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED). If you have life insurance, you would have to talk to a lawyer if your doctor will not sign the death certificate in any way other than suicide. VSED is not seen as suicide by most doctors but it is important that you enquire. You will need care by a palliative care doctor. On our website you will see a section called Hastening One’s Death. Click on it and it will give you more information about both possibilities. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@texasdeathwithdignity.org. TDWD
Thank you Kathy for your information. However, I will have to delete your post because our advocacy does not recommend your suggestion at this time. You might want to contact Final Exit Network. I am glad that your information helped your aunt.
My 40-year-old nephew who lives about 30 miles north of Fort Worth is within six months of dying from colorectal cancer. He has been in and out of the hospital since October 2020 and almost constantly the past six months. He is ready to lay down this burden. Can anyone give me guidance on how I can help him? I guess his options right now are to refuse further medical help (which is excruciatingly painful) and start hospice as necessary or, I suppose, start a GoFundMe so I could move him to Oregon for a month and try to use the Death with Dignity Act there.
Thank you for reading this. I love him so much and want to alleviate his suffering in the kindest possible way.
Sue, I am so sorry I have been so tardy in responding to you. The only legal option your nephew has in Texas to hasten his death is the voluntary stopping of eating and drinking. He would have to have a palliative care doctor oversee this process. It takes about 3-11 days to die this way. Here is some information for you to look at. https://www.compassionandchoices.org/take-action/staying-stronger-together/vsed-webinar
If this option is not viable then his doctor should be approached about palliative sedation. Again, I am so sorry I did not respond sooner. TDWD
Hi,
My dad is 81 and not passing but is miserable is there anything we can do? He is refusing to go to doctor’s appointments refusing insulin blood
He is DNR, but anything to help him? Thanks!
Kim, I am so sorry I have been so tardy in responding to your post. Your father appears to be ready to die but does not have a terminal illness. For what ever reason, he feels he has lived a completed life. Or he might just be depressed. Has he seen a doctor who can evaluate him for depression? Refusing insulin is his choice and is legal in Texas since one does not have to take life extending treatments. If your dad is still alive but still wants to hasten his death, he can contact an organization in Switzerland called Dignitas where he might qualify for medical aid in dying. He does not have to be dying to qualify. However, it is expensive to go through the process and of course he would have to fly to Switzerland. Voluntarily stopping eating and drinking is also legal in Texas but he would have to have a palliative care doctor oversee this process. Depending on your father’s health, it might take anywhere between 3-17 days to die. Here is some information https://www.compassionandchoices.org/take-action/staying-stronger-together/vsed-webinar. If you have any further questions please contact me. I am now in a position where I will reply immediately.
I am looking for someone who can assist me to commit suicide!
I no longer want to live I have outlived my usefulness to any people in
I have become a nuisance to others I want to end my life in dignity
and without pain can you direct me where to go in el paso texas .
Thank you
Jacqueline, I am so sorry that you have found yourself in this situation. Not knowing exactly why you have come to this decision, I can only say that this might be a temporary situation, perhaps because the holidays are upon us. Texas Death with Dignity does not advocate suicide but rather how to hasten one’s death if one is terminally ill. In Texas the only legal option a dying person has is the voluntary stopping of eating and drinking, which must be overseen by a palliative care doctor. We do not advocate this method for people who are suicidal. I would ask you to contact El Paso Strong at 915 799-1800. This is a crisis intervention resource and they can assist you. If you have further questions contact us at info@texasdeathwithdignity.org. Again, most depressions are temporary and can be overcome with the proper assistance of a counsellor. Don’t give up on yourself. You have no idea what you may be able to withstand temporarily. TDWD
So sorry for this tardy reply. You are not the first person who has recommended this way to die. We cannot condone it because of the unpredictability of results (some people don’t die and end up in a way that would ever preclude them from obtaining death with dignity) and many sellers are frauds. I am glad that your family has had good outcomes.
Thank you for your support because, as you said, “nobody should undergo pain and suffering against their will”. Please contact your state rep and senator and let them know you want a medical aid in dying law in Texas. Thanks. Cindy
I’m looking for help in executing my suicide. I had tried everything but pain of living is now overwhelming. I live alone. I do not have any family members around. Is there a place I can get help? Thank you.
Please respond to my e-mail. Thanks. TDWD
I am currently witnessing my father die from cancer, and I don’t want anyone to ever experience this. Seeing him now as a ‘vegetable’ is no life. For the last 4 days, he can’t move, he can’t speak, and he can’t even make a sound other than the death rattle. He lays there in pain and trapped in his own body. This is no way to live. My family and I are joining this Death with Dignity effort to make a change. This completely saddens me that the government allows this torturous experience.
Adriane, I am sorry this reply is so tardy. I am so sorry that your father, you and your family had to go through this experience. No human being should have to go through this and the dying should have the option to access medical aid in dying. Please contact your state leaders, tell them what you have told me and tell them that Texas should have a death with dignity law. If they respond, please let me know. Ask your other family members to do the same if they agree with you. Again, I am so sorry that your father had to die this way. Thank you for your support. Sincerely, Cindy Merrill, co-founder of Texas Death with Dignity.
Thank you for your work! I’ve just sent emails to my state officials. I’m including my message here and will let you know if I receive replies….
I am writing to ask you to support Death with Dignity in Texas. Suffering— be it emotional or physical— as the result of a terminal diagnosis should be met with humane options rather than forced prolonged pain. I believe competent adults should be able to choose whether to hasten their own death, and professional medical support should be accessible without fear of legal repercussions. I feel strongly that this most personal of decisions should belong to individual citizens. No one living with a terminal condition should be forced to choose between ongoing daily suffering or a difficult illegal suicide when compassionate support could be made available. I hope you will please consider helping with this very worthwhile and important effort.
Respectfully,
I apologize Rhonda for this very tardy reply. Thank you so much for contacting your state leaders. They do keep track of messages for particular issues so please try to get other members of your family and friends to contact their leaders too. Please let me know if your state leaders responded and what they said. I think this would be a great letter to the editor in your local paper. Thanks again for your support and please keep in touch. Cindy Merrill, co-founder of Texas Death with Dignity.
HI, Rhonda. Did you ever hear back from any of our state leaders following your letters to them regarding death with dignity. Thanks for your feedback. I hope you and your family has weathered this pandemic without issue. Cindy, TDWD
I live in Texas unfortunately..
I told my mom I wanted to become an advocate for the right to die as she laid in her bed waiting for death.
Pancreatic cancer diagnosis and gone in 7 weeks. Hospice nurse asked her how she was doing..her reply..just waiting to die. She was 91.
Thankfully she didn’t have much pain but the Emotional acceptance was the hardest to watch. Two weeks total depression. No TV, no paper didn’t want anyone around.
It’s so sad that we treat our pets with more dignity than we do our own parents and family members.
We don’t want our pets to suffer or be in pain when they become ill with cancers etc..
Watching a loved one slowly die everyday is also very hard (I was her caregiver 24/7) and it will be something I don’t think I will ever get over.
I’m so sorry you had to go through this heartbreaking death of your mother, Mary. Unbearable suffering does not necessarily mean pain, it can be the emotional pain that your mother experienced as she lay dying. TDWD agrees with you. No one who is dying from a terminal illness and is an adult and mentally competent, should be prevented from hastening their death. One by one States are passing a death with dignity law. Eventually the large organizations who are helping states pass these laws will come to Texas. So don’t give up hope. Until then, call or contact your state rep and state senator and tell them your story and tell them you want this law in Texas. Let us know what they say. Also keep watching our Facebook page as we have breaking news about medical aid in dying. Thanks! Cindy – TDWD
I would like information on this please
Celia, I’m not quite sure what information you are looking for. Many questions can be answered in the articles provided by this website and on our Facebook page. If you have a specific question, please don’t hesitate to ask us. I apologize for the delay. Thanks for you interest. Cindy – TDWD
I will like to participate in this cause. I work in a Nursing home and live in constant reminder of the effects of term illnesses. I refuse to live like that …for my sake and that of my children ..i will join in on the efforts
Forgive me Olga for this very, very tardy response. I am so glad that you support our advocacy. You certainly have a viewpoint that our state leaders need to hear. Texas Death with Dignity is an advocacy that informs the public on what medical aid in dying is, what hospice does and other end of life issues through our Facebook page, our website and through presentations and articles in periodicals. Compassion and Choices Texas is a grass roots organization looking for volunteers like you to help them in various ways. Please look them up on the Internet and help them as you can. The most important thing you can do is to let your state leaders know that importance of having this process available to the terminally ill. Thanks! Cindy – TDWD
my grandfather was in so much pain and needed assisted suicide. It was against the laws here so we had to get help abroad from Jan Co. They got us Nembutal and my grandfather’s wish was granted. You can reach them at
JAN47584(AT)GMAIL(DOT)COM and they will help you get Nembutal. they are very reliable and discreet. Every human being has the right to live as well as the right to end his/her life. Gov’ts should legalize it
I am so sorry it has taken me this long to respond to your message. We flooded during Harvey and I just fell behind on so many things. I am sorry that your grandfather was in pain and that Texas could not provide him the help he needed. Please contact your state leaders and tell them you want a death with dignity law in Texas, so the terminally ill have the option to avail themselves of a gentle and compassionate death. Thanks for your support! Cindy – TDWD
where can i buy nebutal . no prescription. I am 75, diagnosed with dementia and have severe pain from degenerative physical problems. I have had a good life. and want my right to die with dignity.
Jaquelyn, I am very sorry to hear of your distress. I am also sorry it has taken us so long to respond. We monitor our Facebook Page and our email address every day but not our website. TDWD cannot answer your question because we don’t condone hastening one’s death in this way. Who ever helps you in obtaining this drug could face felony charges and your ingestion of this drug could fail and your loved ones would have the added burden of taking care of you. In Texas it is not illegal to access voluntary stopping of eating and drinking which could quickly hasten your death if done properly. This is a painless way to hasten one’s death but only if you have a palliative care doctor and nurse assist you. Please talk this over with your physician and your family and then ask for a palliative care doctor to assist you. If you have further questions contact us at info@texasdeathwithdignity.org. Cindy Merrill, co-founder of Texas Death with Dignity
I am suffering from PTSD. This causes me severe depression. I have often thought of dying. I have outbursts and my poor wife which I love dearly usually gets the I witness them she is hurt emotionally. This is no way to live for either of us. If texas had a right to die for not only the terminally ill but for those of us that are forced to live the way I live. T
Ben, I am so sorry it has taken me this long to respond to your e-mail. We flooded during Harvey and I fell behind on many things. However, I think you wrote us on our Facebook Page and I responded. If not, please let me know. How are you doing now? Cindy
Thank you so much for being here. I have been reading and researching but it still felt like everyone and everything was so far away, like in California, Oregon and even other countries! To hear that there are others right here in the state of Texas with me helps me know I am not alone. My husband does not believe my decision to take my life is right and the rest of my family would totally turn away from me. Just knowing there are others close by when the time comes will give me the strength and joy I need
Thank you Linda for your comment and support. I am sorry you do not have the support of your family should you ever have to face this decision. Please do what ever you can to help our advocacy in Texas and do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Cindy
A very dear friend of mine hung himself in his home because he was in a painful decline from physicsal aliments related to a broken neck and paralysis. His chosing this option to die alone without the support of loved ones is tragic. We must do better as a people and offer humane ways that empower the individusl to choose this transition option with dignity!
I am so sorry to hear about your friend, Jon. Tell all of your state legislators about your friend and tell them you want a death with dignity law. Take care of ;yourself. Cindy, co-founder of Texas Death with Dignity
The only tattoo I have ever wanted is “DNR” on my chest. I am terrified of ending up in a helpless,lingering state. I feel assisted dying is not murder, but rather compassionate and humane. Please join me in convincing our representative of the same and to enact Death with Dignity legislation.
Thanks, Julia. Humor goes a long way in confronting the prejudice against medical aid in dying. Thank you for your continued support! Cindy
Everyone should have the Right to death with dignity.
Texans, please show your support.
Thanks, Sam. Please help our advocacy in any way you can. Cindy
when my dad was dying my mom wore herself out trying to care for him and he would just lay there suffering…it really took a tole on the family…when it is your time you should have options
Robyn, I am so sorry about the suffering of your father. Please let your state leaders know that the dying should have the option to end their lives in peace and dignity through medical aid in dying. Texas Death with Dignity
Hello, Texan here.
I am eager to support this and see it become law, but I am not powerful. Any tips on how I can help?
Please contact your state representative and state senator and tell them that you want a death with dignity law in Texas. If you have a personal story to tell, tell them the story. Then if you do Facebook, please like our Facebook page. Next if you would like to volunteer in a grass roots initiative, contact Compassion and Choices and tell them you want to volunteer. They will tell you what to do. Also, write an Opinion piece to your local newspaper or a letter to the editor expressing your support of this law. Get your friends and family involved also if they are like minded.
Thanks for your inquiry and keep in touch.
Texas Death with Dignity