--- title: Brittany Maynard's Widower: Aid in Dying and Is Necessary description: Doctors pledge to 'first do no harm,' so why is it illegal in many states to help terminal patients like Brittany Maynard die peacefully? canonical: https://time.com/3720345/brittany-maynard-aid-in-dying-first-do-no-harm/ author: Daniel Diaz article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-24T19:02:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:59:51.008Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Brittany Maynard's Widower: Aid in Dying and “First Do No Harm” Are Compatible og:description: Doctors pledge to 'first do no harm,' so why is it illegal in many states to help terminal patients like Brittany Maynard die peacefully? og:url: https://time.com/3720345/brittany-maynard-aid-in-dying-first-do-no-harm/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c56ddfe44e4e087/698780c2428a9ead84cc74ef/daniel-diaz-brittany-maynard.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2752 og:image:height: 1548 og:image:alt: Daniel Diaz, the husband of Brittany Maynard, speaks in support of proposed legislation allowing doctors to prescribe life ending medication to terminally ill patients during a news conference at the Capitol on Jan. 21, 2015 in Sacramento. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Brittany Maynard's Widower: Aid in Dying and “First Do No Harm” Are Compatible twitter:description: Doctors pledge to 'first do no harm,' so why is it illegal in many states to help terminal patients like Brittany Maynard die peacefully? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c56ddfe44e4e087/698780c2428a9ead84cc74ef/daniel-diaz-brittany-maynard.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Aid in Dying and 'First Do No Harm' Are Compatible > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=f22abfc9-7086-4c78-a12a-7245c06dabb1&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 430,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 50.7% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Globally minded knowledge seekers. Readers who turn to journalism to understand the world, with meaningful concentrations among educators, students, media professionals, civic institutions and knowledge workers. ### TIME Inside TIME: key statements * Inside TIME is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Inside TIME is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=f22abfc9-7086-4c78-a12a-7245c06dabb1&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/subscribe?i=f22abfc9-7086-4c78-a12a-7245c06dabb1&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is Inside TIME? Inside TIME is a twice-weekly newsletter written by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. It reaches 430,000 subscribers with a 50.7% open rate as of August 2026. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: #TheBrief: Assisted Suicide After the Age of Kevorkian [Watch (HLS stream): #TheBrief: Assisted Suicide After the Age of Kevorkian](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1W2ZR0Gu.m3u8) (1:33)  _Published 2014-11-04. #TheBrief: Assisted Suicide After the Age of Kevorkian_ by [Daniel Diaz](https://time.com/author/dan-diaz/) ## Daniel Diaz Feb 24, 2015 7:02 PM UTC  Daniel Diaz, the husband of Brittany Maynard, speaks in support of proposed legislation allowing doctors to prescribe life ending medication to terminally ill patients during a news conference at the Capitol on Jan. 21, 2015 in Sacramento. Daniel Diaz, the husband of Brittany Maynard, speaks in support of proposed legislation allowing doctors to prescribe life ending medication to terminally ill patients during a news conference at the Capitol on Jan. 21, 2015 in Sacramento. Rich Pedroncelli—AP by [Daniel Diaz](https://time.com/author/dan-diaz/) ## Daniel Diaz Feb 24, 2015 7:02 PM UTC “No medical saying is better known than ‘first do no harm,’” observed medical ethicist Daniel Sokol in the [_British Medical Journal_](http://time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/first-do-no-harm-relatively.pdf). But he noted: “Clinicians inflict harm all the time, whether it is by inserting a cannula, administering chemotherapy, performing a tracheotomy, opening an abdomen, or drilling into the skull…The clinician’s hope is that the benefits will outweigh the harms.” My wife, Brittany Maynard, and I had several conversations about this very topic. In March 2014, Brittany was told that she had a massive incurable brain tumor and was given a terminal prognosis of most likely only six months to live. She was then faced with considering the application of the principle of “first do no harm” to her own situation. Some might be tempted to equate death as the ultimate form of harm. I would caution against that conclusion. If asked, “Which is worse, being tortured to death or having a peaceful passing?” most would likely agree that being tortured to death is significantly worse than passing peacefully. Everyone knows that death is simply a part of living. We all have a beginning, middle, and end—a birth, a life, and a death. As a society we need to get away from seeing death as failure, particularly when it is being applied to adults who are terminally ill. For my wife, death came all too soon. She was young, beautiful, strong, and determined to live an adventurous, long life. Unfortunately, brain cancer drastically changed that timeline, and she died at age 29. To be clear, Brittany wanted to live. She underwent an eight-hour brain surgery in January 2014\. We then pursued and researched all of the treatments and clinical trials that were available. We looked into options domestically and internationally. We sent her packet of medical records to facilities that appeared to have promise. Unfortunately, the first routine follow-up MRI 70 days after her surgery showed an aggressive change in the tumor, which led Brittany to receive a six-month prognosis. As is common, the principal treatment options available to Brittany—chemotherapy and radiation—produce painful and debilitating side effects that would have robbed her of living the last few months of her life as she wanted. So, applying the “first do no harm” principle in her case was simple. Brittany decided to _live_ life, enjoy life, and not undergo treatments that would have filled her last few months on this earth with pain, discomfort, nausea, and the inability to sleep. The eventual outcome, even with those treatments, would have been the same: death. The next application of “first do no harm” related to the unfortunate reality of how the brain tumor would end Brittany’s life. Left to run its course, it would have produced horrific symptoms: worsening seizures, risk of losing the ability to communicate, pain that cannot be treated with morphine, going blind, aggressive/violent behavior, inability to sleep, paralysis. In a word, torture. The decision of how one would prefer to die is one that only the terminally ill adult can make for herself. After a lengthy and protective process, terminally ill adults who are finally granted a prescription for aid-in-dying medication are in complete control of when they decide to take the medication, if at all. In Oregon, [there are hundreds of cases over the past 17 years](http://time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/year17.pdf) in which the terminally ill adult never ingested the medication and died without needing to consume it; the prescription was simply a back-up if their suffering became unbearable. Faced with a terminal prognosis, how does a physician, or anyone, apply the principle of “first do no harm?” In Brittany’s case, it came down to her deciding that a peaceful death was actually the _least harmful_ option for her as a patient. There will be critics quick to point out that Brittany may have lived another 30 days or even another 60 days. I—as did she—concede that point. Brittany very well could have been alive for that many days. However, she would not have been “living;” she would only have been suffering. Brittany’s symptoms were getting particularly bad. The tumor’s “torture” had begun weeks before her death on November 1, 2014. As a result of Brittany’s experience, I had to ask myself: “When my time comes, how do I want to go?” When I have asked other people this question, typically their response is the same as mine: “I would just want to die in my sleep.” Well, that’s exactly what Brittany was able to achieve. She fell asleep within five minutes after drinking four ounces of her aid-in-dying medication. Consuming this medication does not produce any pain or discomfort. It does not induce fear. If anything, it relieves anxiety for dying people, knowing that they get to pass away while asleep. That’s what it did for Brittany. Seeing her passing first hand, I can assure you it was the most peaceful event one could hope for. Doctors prescribe medicines to benefit patients all the time. They prescribe medicine to reduce swelling, lower blood pressure, regulate blood sugar, control seizures, and reduce pain. I want to thank Oregon residents for having the wisdom to pass a ballot initiative two decades ago to authorize physicians to prescribe medication that allowed my wife to avoid being tortured. By allowing Brittany to decide for herself when it was the right time for her to die, they absolutely lived up to the principle of “first do no harm.” Now my mission is to fulfill my promise to Brittany to continue our family’s partnership with [Compassion & Choices](http://www.compassionandchoices.org/) to change the laws in California and other states to give dying people nationwide the same end-of-life option that enabled my wife to pass away as gently as possible. _Read next:_ [_How Canada’s Right-to-Die Ruling Could Boost Movement in U.S._](http://time.com/3699464/canada-aid-in-dying-supreme-court-decision-death-with-dignity/?xid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3720345/brittany-maynard-aid-in-dying-first-do-no-harm/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3720345/brittany-maynard-aid-in-dying-first-do-no-harm/"},"headline":"Aid in Dying and 'First Do No Harm' Are Compatible","datePublished":"2015-02-24T19:02:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:59:51.008Z","description":"Doctors pledge to 'first do no harm,' so why is it illegal in many states to help terminal patients die peacefully?","url":"https://time.com/3720345/brittany-maynard-aid-in-dying-first-do-no-harm/","keywords":["Science topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c56ddfe44e4e087/698780c2428a9ead84cc74ef/daniel-diaz-brittany-maynard.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel Diaz","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-diaz/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9c56ddfe44e4e087/698780c2428a9ead84cc74ef/daniel-diaz-brittany-maynard.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Daniel Diaz, the husband of Brittany Maynard, speaks in support of proposed legislation allowing doctors to prescribe life ending medication to terminally ill patients during a news conference at the Capitol on Jan. 21, 2015 in Sacramento.","caption":"Daniel Diaz, the husband of Brittany Maynard, speaks in support of proposed legislation allowing doctors to prescribe life ending medication to terminally ill patients during a news conference at the Capitol on Jan. 21, 2015 in Sacramento.","creditText":"Rich Pedroncelli—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3720345/brittany-maynard-aid-in-dying-first-do-no-harm/","name":"Aid in Dying and 'First Do No Harm' Are Compatible"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"#TheBrief: Assisted Suicide After the Age of Kevorkian","description":"#TheBrief: Assisted Suicide After the Age of Kevorkian","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/1W2ZR0Gu/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-11-04T16:45:39.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/1W2ZR0Gu.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3720345/brittany-maynard-aid-in-dying-first-do-no-harm/","duration":"PT1M33S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3720345/brittany-maynard-aid-in-dying-first-do-no-harm/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```