Viewers share painful stories after "Aid in Dying" report
On Sunday's 60 Minutes, viewers heard Elizabeth Wallner, who has battled advanced colon cancer for four-and-a-half years, explain it's important she be able to choose to end her life. She said she feels so strongly about it because she wants to protect her 20-year-old son, Nathaniel.
"There isn't a day where I won't wish that there would be more time," Nathaniel told correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook. "But there will very easily be a day where I wish there was less suffering."
After the story aired, we heard from viewers who described the pain of watching their loved ones live out the final days of a debilitating illness:
Some viewers seemed uncomfortable with Wallner's decision to end her life, for the sake of her son:
Others were moved by the interviews Dr. LaPook conducted for the story - his first on 60 Minutes:
60 Minutes Executive Producer Jeff Fager said something similar to 60 Minutes Overtime.
"He's born with a compassion," Fager said of Dr. LaPook. "This story he's doing is a story that requires a lot of it. It's an end-of-life story, frightening to a lot of people -- and important."