Carol Bernstein Ferry

About the author: Carol Bernstein Ferry was a radical philanthropist who, with her first and second husbands, donated millions of dollars of inherited wealth to support leftist causes, including the Black Panthers, opposition to the Vietnam War, prison reform, and civil rights. Ferry also visited prisons and taught reading to inmates at Sing Sing prison in New York.

I have emphysema and tumors and have been given six months to a year to live. I believe that my final days will be filled with pain and distress not only for me but for my family. I've had a good life and feel it is my time to go and see no virtue in suffering. In light of these circumstances, I believe I am making a rational decision by choosing to end...