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Maryland Legislature: Please allow your terminally ill constituents to die peacefully

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Maryland Legislature: Please allow your terminally ill constituents to die peacefully


As the Maryland General Assembly convenes for its 2024 Session, it will consider passage of The End-of-Life Option Act (The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings and the Honorable Shane E. Pendergrass Act).[1] By passing the Act, Maryland would join 10 other states and Washington, D.C. in allowing a physician to assist those with terminal illnesses by easing the pain of dying.

Medical aid in dying gives terminally ill, mentally capable adults with six months or fewer to live the option to request a doctor’s prescription for medication that they can decide to take in their final weeks or days to end unbearable suffering and die peacefully in their sleep.

It is a difficult topic to discuss, and one that must be approached with compassion for people who are dealing with the final stages of illnesses that may cause them considerable suffering.

Polling shows that Americans have clarity on the issue, and the peace in passing it may allow should they experience a terminal illness that inflicts extreme suffering in their final days. 67% of voters nationwide said if they “had an incurable, terminal illness, still had a sound mind, had less than six months to live, and… met the legal requirements,” they “would want the option of medical aid in dying.” Support is even higher in Maryland, 71%, and rises to 74% when voters learn Washington D.C. and other states have the option.[1]

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Though the conversation is hard, proactively discussing this issue publicly and privately is important, because it demystifies a topic that may otherwise be considered taboo. By talking about suffering, and the opportunity to maintain decision-making autonomy in the midst of terminal illness, terminally ill adults, their doctors, and their loved ones engage in more frequent, full conversations that improve end-of-life care overall, and create better utilization of hospice and palliative care.

Simply having the option of medical aid in dying is also reported to decrease fears and feelings of powerlessness that individuals with terminal illnesses often report, enabling them to live their final days as fully as possible, and on their own terms.

Ultimately, the issue is about autonomy and the opportunity for terminally ill adults to make their own decisions about the end-of-life care options that are right for them, proactively, and in consultation with their doctors and loved ones. The legislation before the General Assembly creates a thoughtful, compassionate framework within which these difficult conversations can take place. Its passage would be an important step forward for the terminally ill, and their ability to die peacefully and avoid needless suffering in their final days.

Paid for by Compassion & Choices Action Network

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www.CompassionAndChoices.org/Maryland

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[1] Maryland General Assembly. Available at: mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0403

[2] Maryland Voters Support Medical Aid in Dying, Source: Gonzales Research & Media Services, January 2023. Available at: bit.ly/MD2023PollMedicalAidInDying

*Disclaimer: This content was paid for by an advertiser. The Baltimore Banner’s newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content. To find out more, please contact advertising@thebaltimorebanner.com.

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Maryland

Inseparable Maryland couple of 70 years died holding hands after tragic car crash: ‘They were simply quite the pair’

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Inseparable Maryland couple of 70 years died holding hands after tragic car crash: ‘They were simply quite the pair’


A beloved Maryland couple who were married for 70 years died holding hands in their hospital beds after being taken off life support following a horrifying car crash last week.

Kenneth and Marilyn Oland, high school sweethearts who wed in July 1955, died side-by-side Monday in a Baltimore hospital, six days after a car slammed into the side of their vehicle on Route 15 near their Thurmont home, according to their obituary and multiple reports.

Kenneth, 90, who was driving, and his 88-year-old wife were rushed to the hospital and placed on life support after suffering complications from the collision.

Kenneth and Marilyn Oland, high school sweethearts who wed in July 1955, died side-by-side Monday in a Baltimore hospital. Stauffer Funeral Home

“I don’t think one could’ve lasted without the other,” their heartbroken friend, Nancy Echard, told Fox 5.

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“That’s how tight they were. You always saw them together, no matter where you were.”

An employee at Thurmont Senior Center, where the couple were regulars who played bingo there twice a month, said they had just finished lunch and left about 15 minutes before the fatal crash.

Kenneth, 90, and Marilyn, 88, were taken off life support six days after a car slammed into the side of their vehicle. Thurmont Senior Center

The senior center posted a touching tribute to the late couple – parents of three, grandparents of five, and great-grandparents of six – hailing them as pillars of the community who were never seen without each other.

“To those of us here at the Senior Center, they were simply quite the pair,” Tuesday’s Facebook post said.

“You rarely saw one without the other, and that was no accident, they were two people who genuinely chose each other, every single day. In the end, even in their passing, they were not apart for long. They were a living reminder of what lasting love looks like, and we were blessed to witness it.”

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The loving pair, devout churchgoers, regularly brought flowers to friends in nursing homes and were known for deeply cherishing their friends and large family. Facebook

The loving pair, devout churchgoers, regularly brought flowers to friends in nursing homes and were known for deeply cherishing their friends and large family, always uniting everyone for holidays, birthdays, and celebrations, their obituary said.

Marilyn devoted 25 years to chiropractic care before retiring in 2023, and Kenneth spent his life working in marketing.

Grief-stricken family members were comforted that the elderly couple died together and hope their love and legacy will live on.

“If there’s one thing we could share about my grandparents, it’s not only the 70 years they’ve had together and that they chose to be together every day and chose to go away together and leave this earth together,” their granddaughter Kristie Hopkins told the outlet.

“Their legacy is just how to be humans – be humble and kind and graceful to others and help strangers in need.”

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Maryland

Power restored to University of Maryland after campuswide outage

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Power restored to University of Maryland after campuswide outage


A campuswide power outage at the University of Maryland prompted crews to respond overnight, including dispatching staff to assist people stuck in elevators.

In an advisory, the university said Facilities Management staff were on site assessing the situation and that crews were being dispatched to individuals in elevators.

Just after 1:30 a.m, the university said power was in the process of being restored across campus and that most residence halls had power. The university said steam and hot water would continue to improve as full campus power restoration continued.

SEE ALSO | Iranians rally in DC for democracy and Iranian leadership back home

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Pepco said that around midnight, it began receiving calls about an outage impacting the university. Pepco crews responded and determined Pepco equipment was not the source of the outage.

As of publication, university officials have not responded to 7News’ request for a comment.



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Body pulled from river near Bladensburg Waterfront

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Body pulled from river near Bladensburg Waterfront


An investigation is underway after a body was spotted in the Anacostia River near the Bladensburg Waterfront in Maryland on Saturday.

The Prince George’s County Park Police confirmed on social media around 4:50 p.m. that officers responded to the area after reports of a dead person in the water.

Authorities said the investigation is in its early stages.

Officials have not released the identity of the person, and the cause of death has not yet been determined.

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