BLAINE, Minn. – A Blaine woman and her family will be featured in Amazon Prime’s new six-episode docuseries, “Take Me Out Feet First.” The docuseries follows individuals advocating for end-of-life options.
The series was created by New York City native Serene Meshel-Dillman, who was inspired to create this docuseries after witnessing both of her parents take their own lives in the comfort of their home.
Each episode follows a different individual or family who has, advocates or is actively exploring end-of-life options. The docuseries is now available to stream on Amazon Prime.
In 2018, Danna Nelson was diagnosed with stage 3 rhabdomyosarcoma – a rare and aggressive form of cancer that forms in soft tissue – at the age of 22. Nelson succumbed to her illness and died in 2022.
In Danna’s memory, her parents, Candy and Dan Nelson, have become advocates for expanding end-of-life options. During the last legislative session, the Nelson’s spoke to Congress as advocates for a bill for medical assistance in dying.
The medical aid in dying bill – also known as bill HF 1930 – aims to offer a terminally ill person who has six months or less to live the opportunity to end his life medically through medication.
According to local advocacy group Compassion & Choices, the bill is modeled after the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, which has been in practice for 25 years and has yet to report a case of abuse or coercion.
To qualify for the Death with Dignity Act, a person requesting end-of-life options must be over 18 years of age, terminally ill with a prognosis of six months or less to live, and mentally capable of living. make an informed decision about health care.
Key provisions in Minnesota’s Medical Aid in Dying law included:
- End-of-life medication must be self-administered by the patient
- Patients can access medical care in the event of death from providers licensed in Minnesota to provide similar medical care
- The treating health care provider should inform terminally ill adults seeking medical assistance in dying about other options for end-of-life care, including comfort care, hospice care, and pain management.
- An eligible patient must obtain consent from two healthcare providers who confirm their prognosis for six months or less and their cognitive ability to make an informed medical decision
- A terminally ill person may withdraw their request for medication, not take the medication once they have it, or change their mind at any other time
There is also language in the bill addressing insurance coverage and protection against denial of coverage, criminal liability for individuals who misuse medications at the end of life, and legal protections for health care providers.
The bill has been adopted by four House committees but failed to pass the Senate before the end of the 2023-2024 session. On their website, Compassion & Choices says the bill did not advance due to opposition from two DFL senators, ultimately putting a majority vote out of reach.
NOTE: The video for this article originally aired on June 2, 2024.
