Documentary power

A few years ago, conversation around the documentary How to Die in Oregon caught my eye and I added it to my list of movies to watch. Now that the Roku is finally set up and homework isn't a distraction in post-graduate life, I took the time to sit down and watch it. 

Watching this showed me the important role of documentaries in our lives, and the power they have to educate us on history, figures and important societal issues. Physician-assisted suicide is legal in only three states: Oregon, Washington and Vermont. The documentary, for the most part, takes a pro view on physician-assisted suicide by interviewing multiple individuals interested in the medication and their family members. It provides insight into non-profit organizations that support and go against the cause, especially a group called Compassion of Oregon. I'll never forget the scene where volunteers at a calling center are calling households in Washington to try and sign the petition in support of physician-assisted suicide, and when a man starts to argue on the phone, the caller says, "We are offering choice, not selling a process."

In fact, it comes at an interesting time in society when views on end of life medical treatments continue to fluctuate, as shown in this Pew Study released late last week. As someone who had heard about this debate but wasn't very familiar, the nearly two-hour documentary was an insightful and personal way to learn about the matter.