- 8 hours ago
Independent Lens - Season 27 - Episode 03: Life After
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Short filmTranscript
00:00:16You
00:01:12I want you to just move the chair around her so she can face the attorneys.
00:01:16If you would, would you like her right here or not?
00:01:19Just have her move around so she can face generally in that direction, please.
00:01:26Use the microphone.
00:01:37Use the microphone.
00:01:41Use the microphone.
00:01:54Oh, that's fine.
00:01:57Mrs. Bovee, are you the plaintiff in the action before the court today?
00:02:00Yes, I am.
00:02:02Do you presently reside at Riverside General Hospital?
00:02:05Yes, I do.
00:02:06And how long have you been there?
00:02:07Three months.
00:02:12And what was your purpose in being admitted to Riverside General Hospital?
00:02:15To just be left alone and not to be bothered by friends or family or anyone else and ultimately
00:02:30starve myself to death.
00:02:33Do you pronounce your wife's name?
00:02:36Bovee.
00:02:37Bovee or Bovee?
00:02:37Bovee.
00:02:38Bovee.
00:02:39Bovee.
00:02:41Bovee.
00:02:41Okay.
00:02:41Hello.
00:02:42Hello.
00:02:44Elizabeth Bovee is asking for help.
00:02:46She wants to die quietly in a California hospital and needs legal help to do so.
00:02:51Crippled with cerebral palsy, she said she's tired of depending on someone for every need.
00:02:56Thousands of handicapped people are watching her to see what's going to happen here.
00:02:59If she succeeds in being able to wheel herself into a hospital and say, I want to die, then
00:03:05she becomes a forerunner and how many others follow suit?
00:03:08Bovee's lawyers call this a case of the right to refuse medical treatment.
00:03:12Lawyers for the hospital call it suicide.
00:03:15The plaintiff is asking the court to sanction her suicide in a hospital devoted to life.
00:03:21It's the patient's body, it's the patient's decision, and it may be the wrong decision
00:03:26in the view of the doctors and the nurses, it's still the patient's decision.
00:03:33Here I see a very attractive young woman who has her eyebrows taken care of by somebody.
00:03:39Do you have makeup on?
00:03:40A little bit.
00:03:41A little bit.
00:03:43Both above your eyes and on your cheeks.
00:03:44So there is something left in life for you, a kind of self-pride.
00:03:50Do you want to die?
00:03:53I feel that, you know, I've made a confident, rational decision.
00:03:57And, you know, I feel that as an individual I should be given the chance to receive this right.
00:04:04I think I've done what I can do, and the quality of my life is over.
00:04:21Okay.
00:04:24Headed to my disability propaganda workshop.
00:04:37So I was reading this anthology by Paul Longmore, and I read this article about Elizabeth Brouwery
00:04:50and her quest to die, and I found it really compelling.
00:04:56So I started Googling her, and the Wikipedia page, did you have a year of death?
00:05:06And the more I researched, the more I began to think that Brouwery was possibly still alive.
00:05:45I see myself in how Elizabeth moved through the world.
00:06:00I find it difficult to accept defeat when I believe I've been disregarded.
00:06:15In her quest to die, I cannot tell whether Elizabeth was fired or whether she was simply giving up.
00:06:30I need to find her.
00:06:32There are too many unanswered questions.
00:06:53Don't go to the door.
00:06:54But she's not on the right side of me.
00:06:54She says, oh, God, you're looking at a moment.
00:06:55There are too many people.
00:06:55And the difference is the answer to her in her face.
00:06:56And in her face, it's great.
00:06:58You know how it's near the front side of me.
00:07:00And the difference is the difference.
00:07:01Yeah, that's not on the right side of the left side of her.
00:07:02It's great.
00:07:02Yeah, she's perfect.
00:07:04There are too many.
00:07:05You want to remove your face mask for one second for me?
00:07:07I can.
00:07:07Thank you, sir.
00:07:09All right, Reed, you're all set, buddy.
00:07:11You got it?
00:07:12Yep.
00:07:12Okay, down the hallway, please.
00:07:13All right.
00:07:14Have a good day.
00:07:15Yeah, you too.
00:07:19As I set out to find Ray four decades after a trial,
00:07:25I want to know what today's society thinks about giving
00:07:31disabled people access to assisted suicide.
00:07:42Requests for medical assistance in dying are increasing across
00:07:46the country.
00:07:47But they're not always from those with a terminal illness.
00:07:51We're beginning to hear more stories about people feeling
00:07:54it's their only recourse from excruciating circumstances.
00:07:58Yeah, it's called MADE for short.
00:08:01And I think a lot of people don't realize that anybody
00:08:03physically suffering can now apply to have a medical
00:08:06professional to help them die.
00:08:20Okay, guys, I am rolling.
00:08:25What does MADE represent to you?
00:08:33For me, MADE, I think, represents a way out is how I would
00:08:42describe it.
00:08:46For most of my life, my primary caregiver was my mother.
00:08:55When mom got sick, even in her darkest hour when she was
00:09:00hospitalized, she was asking when she can, you know, sign
00:09:05herself out so she can come back home.
00:09:13When we heard mom's diagnosis, I had basically three thoughts.
00:09:20My first thought was, OMG, mom's going to die soon.
00:09:25My second thought was, OMG, I'm going to die shortly thereafter.
00:09:29And then I thought, OMG, how do I get my together?
00:09:41I have a job.
00:09:43I'm able to support myself financially.
00:09:45And yet I still wouldn't be anywhere close to having enough
00:09:50funds if I were to have to pay for my home care out of pocket
00:09:54on an annual, ongoing basis.
00:10:01Even before mom got diagnosed with her illness,
00:10:05I was receiving approximately 24 hours a week
00:10:10of home care through the government healthcare system.
00:10:14During the pandemic, I basically cancelled services
00:10:18for fear of, you know, catching COVID.
00:10:21But once mom got sick, we needed help.
00:10:25And when I approached my agency saying, I'd like to reinstate my service,
00:10:30they basically offered 11 hours per week.
00:10:34And that was with full knowledge of what kind of situation
00:10:37I was facing here at home.
00:10:45The government's solution to my care need was to put me in a long-term care institution.
00:10:53I would be warehoused in conditions that are effectively debilitating.
00:10:59People are kept alive, they're fed, and they're sheltered.
00:11:02But ultimately, it feels like it's an incarceration.
00:11:07My life would be over, I would have no control over it.
00:11:12You know, there was even a point in time where I started wondering,
00:11:17I mean, could they somehow come and say,
00:11:20you're coming with us, right?
00:11:21And then lock me up in long-term care.
00:11:24A trip to long-term care is basically a one-way trip.
00:11:43Hello. I'll be speaking to what the MAID application process looks like in Ontario.
00:11:50Clinicians will ask to understand how your conditions have affected your quality of life.
00:11:55Further, Dying With Dignity Canada is available to talk through any access issues you may encounter.
00:12:03I couldn't get any sort of traction negotiating with the government for additional home care hours.
00:12:10And I have no other family able to act as primary caregiver.
00:12:14So it looked like my only choice was between long-term care or MAID.
00:12:20And in my mind, MAID is the lesser evil.
00:12:28When mom passed away, my sort of estimate was that maybe I could manage to survive for somewhere between six
00:12:36and eight months.
00:12:40I didn't want to really end my life, right?
00:12:45You know, it really just came down to a matter of funding at that point.
00:12:54There's a facade of universal health care in this country that claims to take care of anyone who gets ill.
00:13:01But the truth is, we have these points of crisis in our health care system where people are falling through,
00:13:07not cracks, but massive openings in the system.
00:13:17Elizabeth Bouvet had been stricken with cerebral palsy at birth.
00:13:21She was quadriplegic.
00:13:23And because of her unremitting pain, she wanted to end her life.
00:13:27But in a celebrated case in 1984, a California judge ruled she had no right to die, no right to
00:13:35starve herself to death.
00:13:36Whatever became of her?
00:13:38Elizabeth Bouvet is still very much alive.
00:13:48Starvation is not an easy way to go.
00:13:50You can't just keep doing it and keep doing it.
00:13:52It really messes up your body. And my body was already messed up.
00:13:57What's your life like? What is your day-to-day life like?
00:14:01It's pretty much making sure my care is taken care of, you know, scheduling nurses.
00:14:06And what does it cost for Elizabeth's existence?
00:14:10Nearly $150,000 a year, much of it coming from state and federally funded agencies.
00:14:17I just feel that this is a burden to society. I really do.
00:14:22You feel that you are a burden to society?
00:14:24I feel my physical being is. Yeah. It is. Financially it is, obviously.
00:14:31Elizabeth told us she doesn't want to be here should we come back in ten more years.
00:14:36In the meantime, she simply wants to stay out of the headlines
00:14:40and away from the never-ending debate over the right to die.
00:14:49This is when the coverage of Burberry stops.
00:14:56Had the media got all that they wanted from her?
00:15:01And if so, what have they left behind?
00:15:10So did I ever show you the picture of purportedly Elizabeth from the past few years?
00:15:22This is supposedly her? It's from 2018.
00:15:25Yeah. But that thickens.
00:15:28And so it's just labeled with her name and that's the only clue we have.
00:15:31Yeah, but like, I mean, conceivably it resembles how old she would be.
00:15:41She's done such a good job of hiding herself from any public sort of spotlight.
00:15:47Right.
00:15:47I understand she wants to be left alone, but maybe the fact that we have a shared experience
00:15:57might make her more willing to talk to me because we are not the media that covered her so problematically.
00:16:15She looks happy.
00:16:17She does.
00:16:19She really does.
00:16:21She does.
00:16:22I mean, there is no trace of her death anywhere.
00:16:30And so, like, what does that say ultimately?
00:16:36That she died invisibly.
00:16:51Elizabeth Bouvet's whole life now is made up of needles and bags because her body simply doesn't work.
00:16:58She's so twisted by cerebral palsy and severe arthritis and scoliosis that she can't do anything for herself.
00:17:06There's no way out of this.
00:17:09I think I'll probably live another 10, maybe even longer years.
00:17:13You know, I'll probably get some kind of pneumonia or something.
00:17:16You know, but I don't think it's going to be a happy ending unless I control it myself.
00:17:24Read, check your email.
00:17:27That PI that we reached out to, she found relatives, a couple sisters.
00:17:34Interesting.
00:17:36Rebecca Kastner, who lives in Seattle.
00:17:40Do you want to text her?
00:17:42Yeah.
00:17:42Yeah.
00:17:43Hi, Rebecca.
00:17:44My name is Julie Gaviport and I'm a documentary filmmaker.
00:17:49I have a disability.
00:17:51I'm doing a film on her sister's two-sided disability.
00:17:56And if I'm not mistaken, I believe you're Elizabeth Bouvet's sister.
00:18:01You can give me a call at this number.
00:18:05Thanks so much.
00:18:08Send.
00:18:10All right.
00:18:21Hello?
00:18:23Hi, Rebecca Drede.
00:18:26Hi.
00:18:27We're looking for relatives of Elizabeth.
00:18:32And what the life was like since she was a big part of the news.
00:18:46Yeah, it's a tough one.
00:18:49She didn't want to die, but the quality of her life was really bad because she was in so much
00:18:59pain
00:19:00towards her end.
00:19:02And she died about 10 years ago.
00:19:05I have to say, she went peacefully.
00:19:08She had been sick.
00:19:11She had some kind of lung infection and she passed out.
00:19:15She had a DNR because that was her choice.
00:19:19We weren't even sure if she was alive or not because we couldn't find an obituary.
00:19:35This is hard for me to talk about, but my other sister, Teresa, Elizabeth and Teresa were extremely bonded.
00:19:44And she may not talk to you.
00:19:46I don't know.
00:19:48Is this information helpful?
00:19:50It's very helpful.
00:19:52I really appreciate you talking to us.
00:19:56Take care of you.
00:19:57Right.
00:19:58Bye-bye.
00:20:02Whoa.
00:20:12Whoa.
00:20:26I keep thinking of that picture and wanting to believe that was her.
00:20:32Like, smiling.
00:20:35We haven't seen that in the New York house ever.
00:20:40It's her fighting in court.
00:20:43It's her in a hospital bed with creepy Mike Wallace.
00:20:50But this picture is the total opposite of it.
00:20:55I don't know if you give me hope.
00:20:58I mean, I was hoping that we could maybe talk off camera or on the neck or just find her
00:21:15in a very peaceful place in her life where she isn't fighting ableism or the media.
00:21:28Yeah.
00:21:29That would have been nice for me personally.
00:21:34And I think I could have pointed to Elizabeth and say, oh, look at this. Look at her. She lived.
00:22:03Learning that Elizabeth died 10 years ago was a turning point for me.
00:22:14But I didn't answer my questions.
00:22:18My life after being at the center of controversy is key to understanding her.
00:22:37I'll have you sit back in again. We'll try it with this chair, maybe.
00:22:41Okay.
00:22:53So we're here to talk about your sister.
00:22:58And I guess I'm wondering if you could describe the relationship you've had with Liz.
00:23:08Wow, that's a long, circuitous kind of trip, journey.
00:23:17I had been carrying a lot of guilt over the years when she died on March 29, 2014.
00:23:25And it was probably one of the most painful times in my life to lose her.
00:23:31And only my closest friends know who my sister is.
00:23:37It's not something, you know, I talk about too much.
00:24:00Look at Grandma. That's Liz.
00:24:03Oh my God.
00:24:03Liz in 50, 58. That's Liz.
00:24:07Oh my gosh.
00:24:08Do you remember that?
00:24:09No.
00:24:12Do you remember this board that she...
00:24:14I do.
00:24:14They would wrap her up on that.
00:24:16I remember that, yeah.
00:24:17And there's you.
00:24:19And there's me.
00:24:21What was the purpose of it?
00:24:23To keep her straight?
00:24:23To get her to stand?
00:24:25Oh my God.
00:24:26You know, right?
00:24:27Yeah.
00:24:30Liz was about four or five when I was born.
00:24:34And of course, I don't remember much of that.
00:24:37I do remember, you know, my sister needed 24-hour care.
00:24:42And so I think that really put a strain on the family.
00:24:49And then my dad ended up filing for divorce.
00:24:54We were pretty poor.
00:24:56And, you know, I think we were on welfare for a big chunk of that time.
00:25:01And then my mom remarried.
00:25:05And Liz and I just depended on each other emotionally.
00:25:09And I was also her kind of caretaker.
00:25:13But that didn't last for too long because my stepfather and mother decided to send her
00:25:20to a facility called Angel View.
00:25:24And that was really, really devastating.
00:25:28Really, really devastating.
00:25:30That's at Angel View.
00:25:32This was her bed that she lived for like eight years.
00:25:41Do you remember visiting her?
00:25:43Oh, yeah.
00:25:44Mm-hmm.
00:25:47Yeah.
00:25:49How do you think that affected her?
00:25:53I know that it was probably the saddest moment for her in her life.
00:25:59You know, you're in an institution.
00:26:01And she really didn't want that.
00:26:06But I think, you know, in retrospect, being in that institution was better than being at home with us, honestly.
00:26:19My mom and my stepfather started drinking and there were a lot of fights.
00:26:25My stepfather was abusive physically.
00:26:30That was kind of when we were really separated for a long time.
00:26:44I believe, Teresa, I believe that the home was no place for this or for anyone.
00:26:56But I am still not convinced that Angel View was better.
00:27:18Segregation is part of the trauma of being disabled.
00:27:24Institutionalization is segregation's absolute.
00:27:45During that time, Liz had undergone a bunch of surgeries that were approved by my mom and stepdad.
00:28:05Can you talk about the surgeries?
00:28:08They were god-awful.
00:28:10She had long incisions in the back of her leg, on both legs.
00:28:16As I recall, they were cutting the tendons or something so that her legs wouldn't be so tight so that
00:28:25she would be able to use them.
00:28:27Her hands were severely bent, and so they did put pins and little rods in her hands to try to
00:28:39straighten them out.
00:28:39I think at least one hand, and that did not help.
00:28:45She had a dislocated hip.
00:28:48Her hip would pop out.
00:28:50They would put her in this cast, and evidently they didn't set it right.
00:28:56And she was in excruciating pain, and nobody would listen to her.
00:29:00And finally, she just started screaming and didn't stop screaming until they took the cast off and found they had
00:29:07pinched a nerve in her hip.
00:29:10Her body was like a battlefield.
00:29:19We were led to believe that this surgery or that surgery or a body brace or the leg braces or
00:29:25the physical therapy, all these things would lead to kind of a normal life.
00:29:34Do you think that these surgeries contributed to the pain she felt for the rest of her life?
00:29:44Yeah, of course.
00:29:46I mean, they think it's worth the risk because how could you live like that?
00:29:55It's a very medical mentality.
00:29:59To make her like me, normal, right?
00:30:01This whole normal thing, yeah.
00:30:03I'm not against a citizen suicide, but it worries me to put so much power into doctors' hands because they
00:30:19still treat every ailment, every disability as a deficit.
00:30:26And if they can't fix it, they want to eliminate.
00:30:30What do you mean?
00:30:32What do you mean?
00:31:02So, could you tell us who Michael Hickson was?
00:31:09Michael Hickson was my husband, my children's father.
00:31:14He was, as a person, he was a loving, giving person.
00:31:24In 2017, Michael went into sudden cardiac arrest while he was driving me to work.
00:31:31As a result of that, he had an anoxic brain injury.
00:31:34He was blind and had a spinal cord injury that caused him to be quadriplegic.
00:31:42Originally, he was in a coma.
00:31:44Several doctors kept saying to me, you know, we can just let him go.
00:31:51You know, if you want us to, we can.
00:31:53In fact, they encouraged it.
00:31:56And when he came out of the coma, people that have brain injuries tend to not want to verbalize a
00:32:02lot sometimes.
00:32:04But the doctors would assume if he didn't respond quickly, they would just dismiss him.
00:32:11Are you talking smack?
00:32:13Yes.
00:32:15Do you feel bad about it?
00:32:18No.
00:32:21So you only talk this much to roast me?
00:32:27Oh, my goodness.
00:32:30Oh, wow.
00:32:34Wow, Dad.
00:32:39From 2017 to 2020, no one wanted to treat him.
00:32:44No one wanted him to get any type of rehabilitation.
00:32:48Did you expect doctors to be discriminatory or was this a shock for you?
00:32:57I think as most people believe that doctors are healers, that they're there to help you get better.
00:33:04I never thought that a doctor would ever question life.
00:33:10The court appointed temporary guardians to make decisions on his behalf.
00:33:18The hospital wanted him to be discharged.
00:33:21So the guardian came in and they moved him into a nursing home where he contracted COVID-19.
00:33:29On June 5th, Melissa Hickson went to see her husband on the ICU at St. David's South Austin Medical Center.
00:33:38On that day at the hospital, Hickson found her husband's doctor in the hallway.
00:33:43What Melissa Hickson says happened to her husband and what the hospital says are in conflict.
00:33:51At this point, the decision is, do we want to be extremely aggressive with his care or do we feel
00:33:59like this will be futile?
00:34:01And the issue is, will this help him improve his quality of life?
00:34:05Will this help him improve anything?
00:34:07Will it ultimately change the outcome?
00:34:10And the answer is no to all of those.
00:34:14But what would he say no to all of those?
00:34:17Because as of right now, his quality of life, he doesn't have much of one.
00:34:30Correct.
00:34:33Who gets to make that decision whether somebody's quality of life?
00:34:37If they have a disability or his quality of life is not good.
00:34:41So it's not me.
00:34:43I don't make that decision.
00:34:44However, will it improve his quality of life?
00:34:47No.
00:34:54I can count with one hand the three things that have made it through.
00:34:59However, his quality of life is different than their.
00:35:01They were walking, talking.
00:35:02And I don't mean to be free or abrasive or anything.
00:35:06But at this point, we're going to do what we feel like is best for her along with the state.
00:35:11And this is what we decided.
00:35:13I mean, this doesn't make any sense for me to not try.
00:35:16I don't, I don't get that part.
00:35:18And it's, it's not, it's not easy.
00:35:21And this is a calculated decision.
00:35:23And we feel like this is what's going to be best for him.
00:35:30All that week, I contacted the hospital and tried to have FaceTime visits with my husband.
00:35:36And each day the hospital responded that they would call me back, but they never did.
00:35:41On June the 11th, he passed away at 10, 10 PM.
00:35:45And I was not contacted until June the 12th at approximately 1130 AM.
00:35:52And I never had a chance to even say goodbye.
00:35:55My father was running away.
00:35:56And then there was a danger from playing.
00:36:00And, um, being in a major league, of the end of the episode that's not a very bad thing.
00:36:05I was like, Oh, no, no, no.
00:36:06It was just a good one.
00:36:07And it was just a good kid I didn't know when I woke up to myself and knew that.
00:36:11And it was just a good kid.
00:36:11And I was like, Oh, no, no.
00:36:15And it was just a good kid, but we were concerned for me to be a kid.
00:36:15And I was like, Oh, well, 3.
00:36:16And I was like thinking, Oh, no, no, no.
00:36:19I was like.
00:36:20I was just like, Oh, no.
00:36:21I was like, Oh, and I was like, oh, no, no.
00:36:28Michael was my best friend, and it's really hard to figure out where I go from here without
00:36:38him. Can I give you a hug? I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I
00:36:53know,
00:37:07I know, I know, but I know.
00:37:32You're on the ball in here?
00:37:33Okay?
00:37:33Yep.
00:37:35What?
00:37:36Ambulance?
00:37:37What?
00:37:38Ambulance or are you fine?
00:37:41Do you need an ambulance or are you fine?
00:37:42Yeah, I'm fine.
00:37:42I'm fine, we're not with the ambulance.
00:37:45No, somebody just said that you might have looked like
00:37:47you was in distress or something, so that's fine.
00:37:50No, I'm keeping busy, y'all.
00:37:52Well, okay, no problem.
00:37:53No, I just, we gotta do our job.
00:37:54You know, somebody had a concern,
00:37:56and so we stopped the next time.
00:37:57Okay, thank you.
00:37:58Have a good one.
00:38:03Oh my God, I have a good one.
00:38:20Oh, my God.
00:38:22Oh, my God.
00:38:22Oh, my God.
00:38:23Oh, my God.
00:38:24Oh, my God.
00:38:25Oh, my God.
00:38:25Oh, my God.
00:38:25Oh, my God.
00:38:26Oh, my God.
00:38:27Did you see disabled people aren't threatened by our bodies?
00:38:36We're threatened by all the people's brothers.
00:38:50In Ottawa, senators are set to begin the final debate on an amended version of Bill C-7,
00:38:56which aims to expand access to medically assisted dying.
00:39:04At the time when MAID was expanded to disabled people, it wasn't on my radar.
00:39:10I think that happened basically a year or so before things started to crumble around my life.
00:39:18So it was something that I, you know, became aware of after the fact.
00:39:24We may even have a news conference tomorrow.
00:39:27Publicly, the government keeps saying, wait until tomorrow.
00:39:31Sources say the Liberal Cabinet struggled with several issues as it crafted this proposed legislation.
00:39:37In 2016, legislation was passed through the Canadian Parliament that allowed medical assistance in dying or MAID.
00:39:46At the time, it was seen as a progressive legislation, a move forward,
00:39:51because the process only allowed for people if they had a reasonably foreseeable death.
00:39:58But the Quebec Court directed our federal government to broaden the legislation
00:40:03to allow people the access MAID even if they weren't going to die in the immediate or foreseeable future.
00:40:10And that includes people living with disabilities.
00:40:15That resulted in the addendum of Bill C-7.
00:40:21Minister Lamedi, we'll start with you. The floor is yours. Please go ahead.
00:40:25Bill C-7 proposes an important change to our medical assistance in dying or MAID regime.
00:40:31This legislation will prioritize the individual autonomy of Canadians who are suffering
00:40:35to choose a peaceful death if they determine that their situation is no longer tolerable to them,
00:40:41regardless of proximity to death.
00:40:46So who are we talking about?
00:40:49This is Linda Jarrett.
00:40:51Linda was diagnosed at the age of 50 with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.
00:40:57She does not want to stay in a 24-7 long-term care facility for what could be years on
00:41:03end.
00:41:03She wants the comfort of knowing that she will be able to make a choice
00:41:07if her condition and her suffering becomes too much to bear.
00:41:11For 40 years, dying with Dignity Canada has been committed to advancing end-of-life rights
00:41:16and helping Canadians avoid unwanted suffering.
00:41:22We're here today to speak in support of the legislative amendments
00:41:25that have been put forward in Bill C-7.
00:41:28There were, I believe, more than 120 experts that sat in front of Parliament
00:41:33and gave their recommendations on Bill C-7.
00:41:37And around 50 organizations, doctors and individuals and advocates
00:41:42spoke vehemently against the legislation.
00:41:46It is very interesting that out of everybody who's here,
00:41:49most of them are made lobbyists.
00:41:55You guys need disability experts to speak to you about what they consider as dangerous in this bill.
00:42:04I think when witnesses refer to other witnesses on the panel as lobbyists
00:42:08in a derogatory manner, I think that's not really respectful.
00:42:15We did hear various voices, including voices from the disability community.
00:42:21We took the decision, put quite simply, to reduce suffering.
00:42:30Why, uh, why only, uh, why only people whose bodies are altered?
00:42:37Why not everyone who decides that their quality of life is in the ditch?
00:42:45Disability advocates recognized and raised flags that said,
00:42:50this opens up a quagmire where people with disabilities could be pressured
00:42:54to access MAID instead of receiving the proper supports and services.
00:43:03It looks as though the government is rushing legislation
00:43:06to allow people the right to die without also supporting the right to live,
00:43:10and that's where I get worried.
00:43:15What we're doing with Track 2 or Bill C-7
00:43:18is we're singling out one group of Canadians
00:43:21and saying, boy, it must be terrible to live your life.
00:43:26And we, we think it's so terrible that we're going to assist you to end it.
00:43:30Our biggest fear has always been that having a disability
00:43:33would become an acceptable reason for state-provided suicide.
00:43:37Bill C-7 is our worst nightmare.
00:43:46More Canadians now have access to a medically-assisted death than ever before
00:43:50after the controversial Bill C-7 was signed into law late last night.
00:43:55Now, previously, death had to be reasonably foreseeable
00:43:59for you to be granted what's also known as MAID.
00:44:21It usually takes us up to about a week to arrange all the things that are required
00:44:28for your assisted death, such as arranging nursing for helping with the IV
00:44:34and arranging medications through a pharmacy.
00:44:38I just want to finally stress how important it is to start this process early
00:44:44so that you don't miss out on your chance to have an assisted death
00:44:48if that is what's most important to you.
00:44:54Don't miss your chance.
00:44:57Okay, let me go through a little bit.
00:45:05It feels like I'm at the DMV.
00:45:10In your opinion...
00:45:11In your opinion...
00:45:12Do you have a disability?
00:45:15Yes.
00:45:16In my opinion, I do.
00:45:20Yes.
00:45:20If you ask, what types of disability?
00:45:24Mobility?
00:45:26Dexterity?
00:45:28That was very dexterous, though.
00:45:30I know.
00:45:31I'm a miracle.
00:45:32You're so brave.
00:45:35You're an inspiration to us all.
00:45:37Yeah.
00:45:37You're welcome.
00:45:39How often does your disability limit daily activities?
00:45:44Always.
00:45:49I'm scared.
00:45:50This is making me scared.
00:45:54Yeah.
00:45:54If I had to get any hits on the door...
00:46:01So you could confirm all of the above.
00:46:07I...
00:46:08So I would pass this with cloudy colors if I didn't get it.
00:46:14And if you wanted to die.
00:46:16What?
00:46:17Yes.
00:46:24I believe that my medical condition is serious.
00:46:29And cannot be worthy by any means or accept.
00:46:37I have to tell you.
00:46:40I tried to be funny on the first page.
00:46:45But doing this...
00:46:49Was uh...
00:46:50Was difficult.
00:46:54What was going through your mind?
00:46:56Um...
00:47:00I think that...
00:47:05I'm wondering what...
00:47:07How I would...
00:47:09View my life if I did have...
00:47:14The support of the family and...
00:47:18Um...
00:47:19My partner and...
00:47:21My...
00:47:21My...
00:47:24Friends...
00:47:25Um...
00:47:27Um...
00:47:28Um...
00:47:29How I would...
00:47:30View my life...
00:47:31Because I...
00:47:32You know...
00:47:33Obviously I...
00:47:35I...
00:47:36Have felt...
00:47:40Um...
00:47:42Um...
00:47:46Um...
00:47:51it's interesting just hearing you say you don't know what you don't know how you would view your
00:47:57life necessarily if you didn't have your friends and your family and a support system and everything
00:48:03that you know something you love to do that you get to do yeah making films like i feel the
00:48:10same
00:48:10way yeah what if i didn't have any of those things either yeah i wouldn't be allowed to do this
00:48:15yeah
00:48:17yeah i don't know what you're thinking weird
00:48:31while making this film i've been asked directly and indirectly whether i have ever considered
00:48:39killing myself i resent it not because i'm ashamed but because a physical question
00:48:54that a non-disabled filmmaker would not be asked
00:49:01this film is not about suicide it's about the phenomenon that these people desperate
00:49:10to find their place in the world that perpetually rejects them
00:49:21i have fallen in and out of that desperation my whole life
00:49:49look at that that's in her apartment after she graduated from high school and left angel view
00:49:54yeah remember she liked to have her hair feathered that is so that's i love this picture
00:50:03yeah she had her own her own bitchin van when she could get around more
00:50:11this is her graduation yeah sdsu
00:50:17she was happy that was a great time it was such a great day she's like give me that champagne
00:50:23yeah
00:50:28and then it just got a couple years after that she just it was kind of going downhill
00:50:35kind of wondering what happened it seemed like she was finally finding a place
00:50:46in college she had this dose of independence and she carried that momentum into grad school
00:50:57where she wanted to be a medical social worker how did she go from kind of ready to be of
00:51:08service
00:51:09to other people to wanting to end her life so quickly
00:51:18there's layers to that to to properly answer that
00:51:25a professor told her that she would never work and that she shouldn't be in graduate school
00:51:33and so she dropped out of college
00:51:38during that time she met richard
00:51:43i didn't even know she had gotten married till after she was married
00:51:47she got pregnant which was probably one of her biggest dreams she loved kids um but she lost it
00:51:57and then she actually left richard permanently
00:52:04it was not a good marriage at all and then after that
00:52:07she did not want to go on
00:52:10um and this life with what she had
00:52:16it was legal to me because when i was to graduate school i had a professor who wouldn't accommodate me
00:52:28and i wanted to drop out
00:52:33and um i don't know what would have happened if i wasn't able to finish graduate school
00:52:41and we were the same age
00:52:43we were both 25
00:52:45so
00:52:46wow
00:52:47yeah
00:52:55so this lady wrote an article about liz
00:52:58is in in this local newspaper and it immediately went across just spread like wildfire
00:53:04elizabeth bouvet lies flat on her back in a hospital room in california her body is useless to her
00:53:09trapped in a useless body
00:53:11trapped in a useless body and wants to die
00:53:13she wants to be helped to start a severely handicapped
00:53:17physically helpless and victim of cerebral palsy
00:53:19the severely disabled woman
00:53:21she's living in a body that she really can't control can't do anything with
00:53:25she's very bright she's intelligent she's attractive but so what
00:53:28her body finally gave up
00:53:31i just turned off the media
00:53:33they just made stuff up
00:53:35that that wasn't even like they were talking about her
00:53:38i know what kind of help is available to me
00:53:40and i'm saying that i do not wish to have that any longer
00:53:43and i i do not want that
00:53:47do you realize what the consequences of the court
00:53:51granting your request in this case would be
00:53:53yes i do what would the consequences be
00:53:56also it would be different
00:54:01it was out of the blue like like it was like a slug in the gut really
00:54:11um
00:54:13it was really painful um painful for the family
00:54:18um
00:54:23okay can i stop
00:54:24yeah just for a second
00:54:26yeah take your time
00:54:35doctors want to discharge bouvet
00:54:38they say she's medically ready but there's no place for her to go
00:54:41the hospital has contacted care facilities throughout california
00:54:45and none is willing to take responsibility for her
00:54:47i can't see myself sitting in a convalescent home
00:54:51or attempting to struggle on the outside
00:54:56is the argument a question of her mental confidence to make a decision like this
00:55:00she is totally rational free of mental disease
00:55:04and has made this decision after very careful consideration of the options
00:55:09an understanding of the consequences
00:55:11a real good try a heroic try at life
00:55:15and on the basis of no sort of coercion
00:55:18or overbearingness on any part anyone's part at all
00:55:24richard scott was the public face of brevet's legal team
00:55:32he also co-founded the hemlock society in 1980
00:55:42the national organization's mission was to expand access to assisted suicide in the u.s
00:55:58i questioned the intent of the lawyers
00:56:05you know they are going to fight for her
00:56:07but maybe she didn't ultimately really want to go that far
00:56:12that was in my gut
00:56:14you know did she dig herself down into a hole
00:56:18you know what is it that we would need to do
00:56:20to make her come out of that
00:56:22or to give her a line
00:56:25with the right counselors
00:56:27and the right support
00:56:29and looking at alternatives
00:56:32maybe it would be okay
00:56:39on the surface the hospital's lawyers
00:56:43seem to have a raised interest in mind
00:56:48but like richard scott's
00:56:51they had their own agenda
00:56:53which was to protect the hospital
00:56:58your honor
00:56:59the authority to carry out plaintiff's requests
00:57:03certainly can only be legislative
00:57:06because what plaintiff is asking
00:57:08flies smack in the face of the civil
00:57:11penal and administrative laws of this state
00:57:15the effect of a ruling in favor of the plaintiff
00:57:19would require hospitals, clinics, physicians, medical professionals
00:57:24and their personnel to be dispensers of death on demand
00:57:28the potential for abuse is not hard to imagine
00:57:33euthanasia, murder, assisted suicide
00:57:35would be a reality
00:57:38your honor
00:57:39in a civilized society that values life
00:57:42the consent of those who are governed
00:57:44would never allow it
00:57:46and may we never see that day
00:57:55more than 6,700 Canadians
00:57:57have had medically assisted deaths
00:57:59since it became legal in 2016
00:58:02I've got some new statistics
00:58:03on how many British Columbians
00:58:05are making that choice
00:58:05and the numbers are rising
00:58:09since made past
00:58:10it's been an astronomic increase
00:58:13in the number of deaths
00:58:18Canada has actually outpaced Belgium
00:58:21the Netherlands and Luxembourg
00:58:23who've had assisted suicide
00:58:26for 20 plus years
00:58:31I'm not surprised
00:58:32because in working with the populations
00:58:35and the persons that I work with
00:58:36they are often made desperate
00:58:39for example
00:58:41it can take to see a psychiatrist
00:58:42or a pain specialist
00:58:45a year or two
00:58:47imagine you're waiting
00:58:48getting sicker the whole time
00:58:50but then someone offers you
00:58:53very attractively death
00:58:55within 90 days
00:58:58what kind of choices
00:58:59are we giving people?
00:59:19during the hearings
00:59:21for Bill C-7
00:59:22the Senate
00:59:23requested that
00:59:24the parliamentary budget officer
00:59:26estimate cost savings
00:59:28of expansion of medical assistance
00:59:30in dying
00:59:38based on just people
00:59:40whose lives would be ended
00:59:41many many years early
00:59:43who would have needed
00:59:44disability and home supports
00:59:46the cost savings would be
00:59:48enormous
00:59:52so these findings were reported
00:59:55in the media
00:59:55before the passing of Bill C-7
00:59:58and it was part of what the Senate
00:59:59requested in their deliberation
01:00:01to decide whether to go ahead
01:00:03with expansion
01:00:08in Canada
01:00:09home care
01:00:10and other assistance
01:00:11such as cleaning
01:00:12and cooking
01:00:12and home nurses
01:00:14like those things
01:00:15have been cut
01:00:15desperately
01:00:16and at the same time
01:00:18we're watching
01:00:19this legislation
01:00:20broaden
01:00:21to include more people
01:00:22being allowed to access
01:00:23MAID
01:00:24a 27 year old
01:00:25was given the green light
01:00:27to receive medical assistance
01:00:28in dying
01:00:29her only known diagnoses
01:00:31are autism
01:00:32and ADHD
01:00:3323 year old
01:00:35Keanu Wafayan
01:00:36was approved for MAID
01:00:37as he was suffering
01:00:38from type 1 diabetes
01:00:40and vision loss
01:00:41until his mother
01:00:42intervened
01:00:44and there isn't
01:00:45a ton of
01:00:47awareness
01:00:47or training
01:00:48for doctors
01:00:49to educate them
01:00:50on what is
01:00:51a vulnerable person
01:00:52and how to avoid
01:00:53pressuring people
01:00:54into this
01:00:56for Christine Gauthier
01:00:58the fight
01:00:58to get a wheelchair lift
01:01:00in her home
01:01:00has been an uphill battle
01:01:02while pleading her case
01:01:03to a veterans affairs
01:01:04case manager
01:01:05she was told something
01:01:06that would leave her
01:01:07feeling shocked
01:01:08if things are so hard
01:01:10then you just can't
01:01:11keep going on
01:01:12and you know
01:01:14we can assist you
01:01:15with aid to die
01:01:16Alan Nichols' family
01:01:18says he suffered
01:01:19from mental illness
01:01:20and was not eligible
01:01:22for the lethal injection
01:01:23doctors gave him
01:01:29it's quite clear
01:01:30that disabled people
01:01:32are dying significantly
01:01:33through MAID
01:01:34and there are
01:01:36many many many stories
01:01:38and
01:01:38okay
01:01:39we have to
01:01:40we have to just be
01:01:41very careful
01:01:42of the language
01:01:43that is used
01:01:47we cannot have
01:01:49on the record
01:01:49that disabled persons
01:01:50are dying on mass
01:01:52because of track 2 MAID
01:01:53I just
01:01:53they must qualify
01:01:55for MAID
01:01:56otherwise you can't
01:01:57access MAID
01:01:58Canada is one of the
01:01:59most liberal countries
01:02:00in the world
01:02:01when it comes to
01:02:02medically assisted dying
01:02:03it's further expanding
01:02:04eligibility
01:02:05to include people
01:02:06with mental disorders
01:02:08the only way
01:02:09you can justify
01:02:10the system
01:02:11in place right now
01:02:12is if you think
01:02:13that people
01:02:14who are disabled
01:02:15are not worth
01:02:17the same
01:02:18as someone
01:02:19with an able body
01:02:20we're moving
01:02:21really quickly
01:02:22to talk about
01:02:23further potential expansions
01:02:25versus looking back
01:02:26on all the missteps
01:02:27and all the potential
01:02:28cases that I'm talking
01:02:29about that you guys
01:02:30seem to not know about
01:02:31where people have died
01:02:32when they shouldn't have
01:02:33to the point
01:02:34where the Canadian
01:02:35Human Rights Commission
01:02:36last week
01:02:37put out a statement
01:02:37against this
01:02:38so what I'm saying
01:02:40is we need to slow down
01:02:41and my recommendation
01:02:42is that we take our time
01:02:44and take this seriously
01:02:53the decision makers
01:02:54who are weighing in
01:02:55about MAID
01:02:56are coming into it
01:02:57with their own
01:03:00biases in mind
01:03:02many people are afraid
01:03:04of disability
01:03:04they've never had to
01:03:05interact with it before
01:03:06I think it's easier
01:03:08for those of us
01:03:09who are born disabled
01:03:09to imagine a future
01:03:11but when you acquire it
01:03:13when you have like
01:03:14an accident
01:03:14or you're aging
01:03:16in life
01:03:16it's like you're losing
01:03:17functionality
01:03:18you're losing the thing
01:03:19about you
01:03:20that society said
01:03:21made you great
01:03:22and able to be productive
01:03:23and a lot of the senators
01:03:25and a lot of the senators
01:03:26and elected officials
01:03:27that I've heard from
01:03:28are afraid themselves
01:03:29of aging
01:03:29and they want autonomy
01:03:30it's about a sense
01:03:31of control
01:03:32and disability
01:03:33really takes that
01:03:33away from you
01:03:34and I think those of us
01:03:35who are born with it
01:03:36disabilities
01:03:37we understand that
01:03:38but the decision makers
01:03:40who are afraid of themselves
01:03:41and what their bodies
01:03:42will look like
01:03:43in the future
01:03:43are really ruining
01:03:44our chances
01:03:45at like surviving
01:03:56things with me are okay
01:03:57just the feeling
01:03:59of overwhelm
01:04:00that I get
01:04:02knowing that we're up
01:04:03against
01:04:03like an entire lobby group
01:04:05of like former politicians
01:04:07and just how big
01:04:09this lobby group is
01:04:10but it's not really
01:04:11talked about often
01:04:13yeah
01:04:13it might be
01:04:15the effort
01:04:16of lobbying
01:04:18where you know
01:04:20they go on
01:04:21about compassion
01:04:22and suffering
01:04:24suddenly they're all
01:04:26concerned about
01:04:27our suffering
01:04:28oh here's finally
01:04:29something we can do
01:04:31for or about
01:04:33all those suffering people
01:04:34we just get them
01:04:36to ask for me
01:04:38when Bill C. Sen was passed
01:04:40we said
01:04:42you cannot contain this
01:04:44and it will become
01:04:46a vessel
01:04:47for disability eradication
01:04:50you know
01:04:52reminiscent of
01:04:53the third right
01:04:54we do use
01:04:56the language
01:04:56of eugenics
01:04:58to describe
01:04:59what is happening
01:05:00I think
01:05:02it's a legitimate
01:05:03invoking of history
01:05:06like you cannot
01:05:08address
01:05:09human suffering
01:05:10by killing people
01:05:12even if
01:05:13yourself is up
01:05:15in the way
01:05:15that people
01:05:16come forward
01:05:17voluntarily
01:05:34I feel that this film
01:05:38will be dismissed
01:05:39as cynicism
01:05:44sounding a false alarm
01:05:47sounding a false alarm
01:06:07but the death
01:06:08of disabled people
01:06:10has been justified
01:06:12for so long
01:06:13why do we recognize
01:06:17new forms
01:06:18of an old idea
01:06:22how do we
01:06:23suffer history
01:06:24that is ongoing
01:06:45August 4th 1993
01:06:47Jack Kevorkian
01:06:49was present
01:06:49at yet another
01:06:50assisted suicide
01:06:5130 year old
01:06:52Thomas Hyde
01:06:53Hyde had Lou Gehrig's
01:06:54disease
01:06:54it is an assisted
01:06:56suicide and euthanasia
01:06:57that's on trial
01:06:58you know what's on trial
01:06:59your civilization
01:07:01and your society
01:07:13parents
01:07:13should have
01:07:15a possibility
01:07:16if they so choose
01:07:17to humanely end
01:07:19the life
01:07:19of a severely
01:07:20disabled infant
01:07:24most people
01:07:25don't understand
01:07:25what eugenics is
01:07:26and if they did
01:07:27they would find
01:07:28that they agreed
01:07:29with much of it
01:07:54I think we're going to
01:07:55start heading up
01:07:57I have signs
01:07:58for both of you
01:07:59if you like signs
01:08:01I've got these
01:08:02fancy shower curtain
01:08:02signs
01:08:03you should have
01:08:05that then
01:08:11compassionate
01:08:11choices
01:08:12organized
01:08:13this press conference
01:08:17before a couple
01:08:18of mergers
01:08:19and name changes
01:08:21the lobby group
01:08:23was originally known
01:08:25as the
01:08:26hemlock society
01:08:32can I fit in here
01:08:36this is the eighth year
01:08:38that we have stood here
01:08:40before you
01:08:40and enough
01:08:42is enough
01:08:43we are here today
01:08:44to demand
01:08:45that the legislature
01:08:47finally take action
01:08:48and pass
01:08:49this compassionate
01:08:50bill
01:08:51the medical aid
01:08:52and dying act
01:08:52and if there's not
01:08:54a more fundamental
01:08:55role of government
01:08:56than to relieve
01:08:58human suffering
01:08:59I don't know
01:09:00why the hell
01:09:00we're here
01:09:01other states
01:09:03have outpaced us
01:09:06Nevada's about
01:09:06to get this bill
01:09:07moving
01:09:08in their state
01:09:09legislature
01:09:09that's going to be
01:09:11ten states
01:09:12plus the district
01:09:13of Columbia
01:09:13it's fundamental
01:09:15to the rights
01:09:16of New Yorkers
01:09:17to have agency
01:09:19not just over their lives
01:09:21but over the end
01:09:22of their lives
01:09:23so let's get this done
01:09:24thank you
01:09:25compassionate choices
01:09:26thank you for your
01:09:27excellent advocacy
01:09:28we will win
01:09:30New Yorkers will win
01:09:31thank you very much
01:09:35are you just as dedicated
01:09:37to fully funding
01:09:38home care
01:09:39are you just as committed
01:09:40to making sure
01:09:41there are no rollbacks
01:09:43that home care workers
01:09:44can make livable wages
01:09:45and when people
01:09:47need access
01:09:47to palliative
01:09:48and hospice care
01:09:50they don't have
01:09:51to jump through
01:09:51all these hoops
01:09:52and they don't have
01:09:53to become impoverished
01:09:55that's not exactly
01:09:56this topic
01:09:57but I will say
01:09:57it is very related
01:09:58to the topic
01:09:59we will have a budget
01:10:01that keeps home care workers
01:10:03people in their own homes
01:10:04all right
01:10:04thank you
01:10:05thank you
01:10:07thank you
01:10:09thank you
01:10:10thank you so much
01:10:10thank you so much
01:10:11so much
01:10:14do you think
01:10:15what is happening
01:10:16in Canada
01:10:17could happen
01:10:18in the U.S.
01:10:20would these laws
01:10:21expand
01:10:21from criminal
01:10:23illness
01:10:24to inclusive
01:10:25disability
01:10:27that's my biggest fear
01:10:28was in Europe
01:10:29across the ocean
01:10:30and now it's like
01:10:30right across the border
01:10:31so like we're seeing
01:10:33this developing
01:10:33and it's not just
01:10:35a slippery slope
01:10:36it's like
01:10:36it's a snowball
01:10:37coming down the hill
01:10:38it's going to be
01:10:39an avalanche
01:10:39because the health system
01:10:41is basically going to
01:10:42tell you
01:10:43you should kill yourself
01:10:44because that's
01:10:45the cheapest option
01:11:12over the summer
01:11:13of last year
01:11:15the walls were
01:11:16crumbling in
01:11:17on every side
01:11:20and
01:11:21it did not look
01:11:23like there would be
01:11:24any solution
01:11:25forthcoming
01:11:27I didn't want
01:11:29to die
01:11:29but at the same time
01:11:31I didn't want
01:11:33to live
01:11:33an indignified life
01:11:35stuck in
01:11:36long-term care
01:11:38and so
01:11:39what was
01:11:40the first step
01:11:41for me
01:11:42actually
01:11:43I didn't even
01:11:45first assessment
01:11:45to be honest
01:11:46because
01:11:47they got back
01:11:50to me
01:11:50and said
01:11:51we're too busy
01:11:52killing other people
01:11:53to come kill you
01:11:54today
01:11:54try again later
01:11:56they said
01:11:56if I'm still interested
01:11:58I should reapply
01:11:59in three to six months
01:12:03have you reapplied?
01:12:05no
01:12:05why not?
01:12:08because the situation
01:12:10has vastly improved
01:12:12from that time
01:12:19provisionally
01:12:19there are two separate programs
01:12:22that offer funding
01:12:23for home care hours
01:12:25combined
01:12:26it's basically
01:12:27just enough
01:12:28to give me
01:12:29the kind of support
01:12:30that I would need
01:12:31to remain
01:12:31in the community
01:12:33so hoping
01:12:35that that becomes
01:12:36permanent
01:12:47I certainly have
01:12:49my ups and downs
01:12:50I wouldn't say
01:12:52that my situation
01:12:53is fully resolved
01:12:54but you know
01:12:5613 months later
01:12:57I'm still here
01:12:59so that definitely
01:13:01shows
01:13:02maybe
01:13:03there's a way
01:13:04to make the impossible
01:13:05possible
01:13:19please remain seated
01:13:21and come to order
01:13:21the court is now in session
01:13:24from the evidence
01:13:25presented
01:13:26the court has determined
01:13:29that the ultimate issue
01:13:31is whether or not
01:13:33a severely handicapped
01:13:35mentally competent person
01:13:37who is otherwise
01:13:38physically healthy
01:13:40and not terminally ill
01:13:42has the right
01:13:43to end her life
01:13:44with the assistance
01:13:45of society
01:13:48the court concludes
01:13:50that she does not
01:13:52this session
01:13:53of this court
01:13:54is now adjourned
01:13:59not being able
01:14:01to have lives
01:14:02of their own design
01:14:03dictated Michael
01:14:05and Elizabeth's path
01:14:09that the future
01:14:11suddenly realized
01:14:12by a pure credit
01:14:14backlog
01:14:15and a court's decision
01:14:18is called for both
01:14:20celebration
01:14:21and outreach
01:14:29Elizabeth Bouvier
01:14:30the paraplegic
01:14:31who sued
01:14:32to try to force
01:14:33a California hospital
01:14:34to let her die
01:14:35under its care
01:14:36appeared at wanting
01:14:37now to live
01:14:38she's reported
01:14:39to be eating again
01:14:40for the first time
01:14:41in seven months
01:14:41and asking for help
01:14:43to get better
01:14:45you know
01:14:46everybody wants to know
01:14:47did she change
01:14:48her mind
01:14:53who the knows
01:14:56I don't think
01:14:57she changed
01:14:57her mind per se
01:14:58I think she accepted
01:14:59her fate
01:15:01I think she came
01:15:02to the realization
01:15:03that this is not
01:15:05how she wanted
01:15:05to die
01:15:08after she left
01:15:10Riverside General Hospital
01:15:11they sent her
01:15:13to LA General
01:15:14and that's when
01:15:15she got her catheter
01:15:16she had a morphine drip
01:15:19a Hickman catheter
01:15:21in her chest
01:15:22I think that helped her
01:15:23ease the pain
01:15:25and then Teresa
01:15:27was able to find her
01:15:29a place in Pasadena
01:15:32she got her set up
01:15:33and the state
01:15:34was actually
01:15:35paying for a lot
01:15:36of services
01:15:37that they hadn't
01:15:38paid for before
01:15:42there she is
01:15:44Miss America
01:15:49there
01:15:50and then we have
01:15:51to zoom
01:15:52yeah
01:15:52well don't zoom in
01:15:54too far
01:15:54please
01:15:55see check it out
01:15:56looking through there
01:15:58okay
01:15:59oh god I can see
01:16:01your purple
01:16:02your pores
01:16:03your pores
01:16:04see her here
01:16:06okay
01:16:07where are we Liz
01:16:09my house
01:16:10in South Pasadena
01:16:11not Pasadena
01:16:13let's get that
01:16:14straight Teresa
01:16:15oh my god
01:16:17there's the beanie bitty
01:16:18her little beanie babies
01:16:20her beanie babies
01:16:22okay we're going
01:16:23down the hall
01:16:25and we've got
01:16:27a bathroom
01:16:27this is bathroom
01:16:30and here's
01:16:31the nurse's room
01:16:32Liz is very neat
01:16:33she's a neat freak
01:16:34oh my god
01:16:35there's the scary doll
01:16:38there's her new tv
01:16:39for her nurses
01:16:42there we go
01:16:43there's her wheelchair
01:16:46gives her a little bit
01:16:47of freedom
01:16:47to get out
01:16:48and harass people
01:16:51okay
01:16:54when you receive
01:16:55government support
01:16:56like Liz did
01:16:57there's a very low limit
01:16:58on how much money
01:16:59that you can earn
01:17:00say hi
01:17:01bye guys
01:17:03so in order to have
01:17:05her equipment
01:17:06and staffing paid for
01:17:07she essentially had to
01:17:08stay unemployed
01:17:11you know I think early on
01:17:12when she first moved
01:17:13into that apartment
01:17:14in South Pasadena
01:17:15it was actually a pretty
01:17:16good time
01:17:17I would say for the next
01:17:1810 years
01:17:19it was
01:17:20you know things were
01:17:21going pretty well
01:17:22for her
01:17:22this is Lisa
01:17:25her nurse
01:17:26she worked for Liz
01:17:28for 24 hours
01:17:305 days a week
01:17:31this is Liz's
01:17:32computer
01:17:33this is what
01:17:34Liz does
01:17:35every day
01:17:37hours and hours
01:17:38she loves her computer
01:17:40what I'm doing here
01:17:41is getting a book
01:17:42into the computer
01:17:43so I can read it
01:17:44max mind
01:17:47move down
01:18:00we're going to the movie
01:18:02we're going to the shuttle
01:18:03there she goes
01:18:06there she goes
01:18:08there she goes
01:18:15there are parallels
01:18:16between Elizabeth's
01:18:19tumultuous time
01:18:20under the spotlight
01:18:22and her quiet death
01:18:25she wasn't hard enough
01:18:27in either
01:18:31I am reluctant
01:18:33to try to wrap up
01:18:35her story
01:18:35with my interpretation
01:18:38and while I did
01:18:40choose these final words
01:18:42they are hers
01:18:43nonetheless
01:18:54I'm reading from
01:18:55a draft
01:18:56of
01:18:57kind of
01:18:59this is a story
01:19:00that she and I
01:19:01were working on
01:19:02back in 2006
01:19:04and
01:19:05she was a very
01:19:07private person
01:19:08so she was hesitant
01:19:09to kind of
01:19:10go back
01:19:10to that time
01:19:12in the 80s
01:19:13but I think
01:19:15she wanted to be able
01:19:17to share
01:19:17her story
01:19:19as much as she could
01:19:20and so I was
01:19:20just helping her
01:19:21so
01:19:24yeah
01:19:24so I mean
01:19:25I haven't opened this
01:19:26or really even looked at it
01:19:29you know
01:19:30everyone has a story
01:19:31to tell
01:19:31mine is just
01:19:32one in a million
01:19:34what sets it apart
01:19:35however
01:19:36is the social issues
01:19:37surrounding it
01:20:05behind the media facade
01:20:07and the power lawyers
01:20:08was a scared
01:20:08and forgotten soul
01:20:10trying hopelessly
01:20:11to maintain
01:20:12her dignity
01:20:13amongst bureaucratic
01:20:14chaos
01:20:15and overnight
01:20:15sensationalism
01:20:19sir
01:20:20do you want to die
01:20:23do I want to die
01:20:24do you want to die
01:20:28do I want to die
01:20:32back then
01:20:33when I was
01:20:34S
01:20:35why I chose
01:20:36to die
01:20:37I would
01:20:38pathetically
01:20:38respond
01:20:39I don't want
01:20:40to die
01:20:40but if it means
01:20:42being in this body
01:20:43I don't want
01:20:44to live
01:20:46in truth
01:20:47the answer
01:20:48was one
01:20:48I wasn't sure
01:20:49I could articulate
01:20:55when I was a child
01:20:56I fantasized
01:20:57somehow
01:20:57that when I got
01:20:58older
01:20:58and obtained
01:20:59an education
01:21:00that this would
01:21:01somehow make me
01:21:02able to be
01:21:03financially independent
01:21:04or support myself
01:21:08over time
01:21:09I started realizing
01:21:11that getting an education
01:21:13would not make my future
01:21:14as secure
01:21:15as I thought it would
01:21:17I can't see myself
01:21:19sitting in a convalescent home
01:21:21or attempting to
01:21:23struggle on the outside
01:21:26I think one of my biggest
01:21:28things that really frustrated
01:21:30me was being trapped
01:21:32by the bureaucratic system
01:21:34on which I am dependent
01:21:38I have never
01:21:40and will never be
01:21:40financially able
01:21:41to support myself
01:21:43therefore I have to rely
01:21:45on a system
01:21:46that is not only
01:21:47overburdened
01:21:48but sometimes unfair
01:21:51it is a vicious cycle
01:21:53from which I will
01:21:53never escape
01:21:57this
01:21:57I have to say
01:21:58was the number one
01:21:59factor in my decision
01:22:00to end my life
01:22:30I have to learn
01:22:31you
01:22:31I have to say
01:22:31Let's go.
01:23:30BIRDS CHIRP
01:23:39BIRDS CHIRP
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