Yesterday's New York Times had a big spread on Oregon's assisted suicide law. Reporters John Schwartz and James Estrin interviewed a number of terminally ill people who have received prescriptions enabling them to end their lives if they choose to do so. Estrin also sat in as one such person ended her own life in her Eugene home.

Handing her the lethal dose of Seconal dissolved in water was George Eighmey, a Portland lawyer and my former state representative from the Buckman and Ladd's Addition neighborhoods. George now works for Compassion in Dying, a death-with-dignity group, and has presided over quite a few of these assisted suicides in recent months. The Times articles point out, however, that only a small percentage of Oregonians who get the prescriptions actually wind up taking their own lives.

Whatever you have thought about this issue up until now, the Times pieces may move you to a higher level of understanding. You can root around your local newsstand or library for the Tuesday paper, ask a neighbor who subscribes to the Times for his or her copy, or go here for a compelling presentation with photos and audio interviews. (Via AboutItAll:Oregon.) The rest of the articles are here and here.

The presentation is hard to watch. But it helped me remember something that I tend to forget:

Every day is a gift.