On Thursday, Oct. 20, The Colorado Independent hosted a debate about Proposition 106, the ballot measure to give terminally ill Coloradans access to medications that will allow them die peacefully.
Barbara Coombs Lee, president of Compassion & Choices, advocated for aid-in-dying as a humane way to give patients control over their own suffering. Carrie Ann Lucas, a disability rights attorney and activist, expressed concerns that some patients with chronic illnesses could feel pressured by doctors, caregivers and even family members to seek aid-in-dying against their will.
Lucas and Coombs Lee answered questions from moderator Susan Greene, the editor of The Independent, and from audience members with very personal stakes in this issue.
Watch the debate in full, recorded by Denver Open Media, here.
Photo credit: Denver Open Media
