Sunday, May 6, 2012

How to Die in Oregon

In 1994, Oregon passed the Death with Dignity Act, becoming the first state to legalize assisted suicide. In this documentary, the current state of the euthanasia debate is examined while we are introduced to several terminally ill patients who take their own lives right on screen. "How to Die in Oregon" is a shameless documentary that seeks to brutalize and guilt you towards its side, but never feels like anything other than a "Faces of Death" video. I do not wish to go on a euthanasia rant but, being a raised Catholic, it is very hard to approach this subject objectively and sadly, neither can the filmmakers.