Readers Write: 2024 election, medical aid in dying, aging

Opinion editor’s note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

•••

Those deeply concerned about the future of our democracy might agree with Akshay R. Rao’s opinion that “loser” is possibly a more appropriate name-call than “weird” in branding former President Donald Trump (”Can Democrats come up with a better name-call than ‘weird’?” Aug. 4). A thorough Associated Press investigation in 2021 found fewer than 475 instances of confirmed voter fraud across the six battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — nowhere near the magnitude to change the 2020 presidential election outcome. Trump’s Justice Department discovered no widespread voter fraud, and numerous other legal challenges and voting machine conspiracies were all unfounded. Trump was determined a “loser.” And what of the string of Trump’s legal losses in New York?

I fear we will become a nation of “losers” if MAGA and Trump win the 2024 election. We stand to lose corporate taxes, clean air and water regulations, protection of our treasured Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from unsustainable copper nickel mining, voting and women’s reproductive rights, civil service protections and adequate funding for Medicare and Social Security. Probably “weird” is too tepid a Trump brand given the risk of becoming a “loser” nation and a “loser” democracy.

Julie F. Holmen, Minneapolis

I would like to respectfully disagree with a recent letter writer and doctor’s unscientific representation of suicide and medical aid in dying (Readers Write, Aug. 4). I live with major depression/anxiety and have managed this disease for 75 years. My mother (95 years old) and younger brother (45 years old) committed suicide, and because we have no compassionate dying program in Minnesota, they both died long, painful deaths. The letter writer wants to lump my family in with a label of despair, and he has no right to do that.

Also, his cavalier attitude toward stopping eating and drinking means he has never watched someone go through this excruciating experience. I watched my mother die slowly of this method over six weeks because it was the only way to release her from her misery. Hospice is a wonderful option for those who wish to prolong their lives. The fact that we pat ourselves on the back for hospice but keep opposing medical aid in dying is hypocritical. Every day, hundreds of our beloved animal friends are released from misery with a quick, pain-free injection. I have held four of our cats on my lap in my home over the years as they were released from pain and misery. I wish I could have done the same for my mom and my brother.

Nancy Lanthier Carroll, Roseville

•••

An Aug. 4 letter writer strongly opposed legislation for medical aid in dying, suggesting that what is needed instead is to “rekindle hope” within dying individuals, “hope to have a little more time with your family to let them know you love them.” It seems a bit presumptuous that any of us would decide for another person for how long and in how many ways they should express their love. I would hope that every day I am letting my family members know how much I love them.

The letter writer also suggests that we already “have the power to end our lives anytime we wish. All we have to do is stop eating and taking fluids.” This seems a very glib statement, overlooking the fact that to die by starving oneself to death is itself a horrible, painful affair, which would only compound the suffering of someone who is already dying.

The End-of-Life Option Act has very specific and rigorous eligibility requirements, and not every eligible person would even choose to ask for and self-administer the medication. But for those individuals whose end of life is imminent, who are of sound mind, under doctors’ care and facing agonizing final days on this earth, if they so choose, they should be allowed to relieve their own suffering without reproach from others.

Louis Asher, Vadnais Heights

•••

An Aug. 4 letter regarding the Minnesota End-of-Life Option Act was so odd that I had to respond. The writer manages to conflate the lives of those who are depressed and despairing of life with those dying of an illness. Of course everything should be done to help those who are suicidal. And I thank the doctor for helping those who seek his guidance for depression. But how does one call a patient on this deathbed suicidal? He misstates and misleads by suggesting any comparison.

Imagine you are a week or so from dying. It’s been a long road and the suffering has become unbearable. Your loved ones are with you and suffering as well watching you struggle to die. You asked to have the medication, but it’s illegal in Minnesota because people like this letter writer would like to give you hope.

The idea that a doctor could take such a huge leap from depressed people to dying people, and that the dying patient has a right to starve himself but not the right to a medication, is simply outrageous. When I’m at my end, I will have hope — hope that I can find a more compassionate doctor.

Mary Alice Divine, White Bear Lake

So glad columnist Laura Yuen addressed the issue of aging and the difference in appearance between Minnesota’s Gov. Tim Walz (60 years old), who looks older for his age, and Vice President Kamala Harris (59 years old), who looks younger for her age (“Walz has earned his appearance,” Aug. 4). It is interesting how variable the whole aging process can be.

For women there seems to be more pressure to maintain health and attractiveness because the consequences for looking old and infirm mean being ignored, disrespected and taken advantage of. Those of us who have taken good care of ourselves may be proud of how young we look for our age while others who haven’t aged well are seen in unfair and derogatory terms. Sadly, elderly women are often depicted in movies and the media as being fragile, bitter or scary. No wonder some “senior” women never want to reveal their age. Gender discrimination is alive and well!

An older man, on the other hand, such as Walz, is still considered handsome, vital, vibrant and “in the game” for many years beyond age 60. Frustrating indeed!

One thing is for sure, passing the age of 60 is a bit dicey. For instance, a rash could be dry skin, or it could be skin cancer. The sudden headache could be caused by sleep deprivation, or it could be a stroke. The quivering finger could be from lifting something heavy, or it could be a sign of Parkinson’s disease — and so on.

The passing on of friends and family also weighs heavily on those over 60, along with the expectation to keep up with technology, live independently, travel and work into our “golden years.”

At age 64, I will continue to place my health front and center. At some point, however, the harsh reality of my own mortality will rear its ugly head. This I struggle with. So, I ask, is it appropriate to place my hope in the medical advancements of artificial intelligence? If so, please hurry up!

Sharon E. Carlson, Andover