( CNN ) -- A beautiful 29-year-old woman with a rare brain tumor , Brittany Maynard and her tragic death have sparked the on-again , off-again debate about whether assisted suicide should be legalized in this country . The media frenzy over the Maynard story has made it almost impossible for a legitimate opposing view to be heard , and many people believe that any opposition has to come from religious extremists or right-wing busybodies . I am neither . As a disability rights advocate for over 40 years as well as a person living with a disability , I am deeply troubled about the Maynard media swarm . Assisted suicide legalization is n't about Brittany Maynard . It 's about the thousands of vulnerable ill , elderly and disabled people who will be harmed if assisted suicide is legalized . A recent report from the Institute of Medicine calls the country 's system of caring for terminally ill people `` largely broken , '' `` poorly designed to meet the needs of patients '' and refers to Medicare and Medicaid , health care systems designed to meet the needs of the poorest among us , `` in need of major reorientation and restructuring . '' More from Opinion : Why assisted suicide laws are dangerous . The idea of mixing a cost-cutting `` treatment '' such as assisted suicide into a broken , cost-conscious health care system that 's poorly designed to meet dying patient 's needs is dangerous to the thousands of people whose health care costs the most -- mainly people living with a disability , the elderly and chronically ill . Assisted suicide drugs cost less than $ 300 . Compare that with the cost of treating a terminal illness . This is one of the many reasons every major disability rights organization in the country that has taken a position on assisted suicide is opposed to legalization , along with the American Medical Association , palliative care specialists and hospice workers who know better than anyone that advancements in palliative care have eliminated pain as an issue for patients who receive appropriate care . Anyone dying in discomfort may legally today , in all 50 states , receive palliative sedation , wherein the patient is sedated and discomfort is relieved while the dying process takes place peacefully . This legal solution does not raise the very serious difficulties that legalizing assisted suicide poses . More from Opinion : When assisted suicide is not the answer . Assisted suicide ultimately affects everyone 's health care . In Oregon , where assisted suicide is legal and where Maynard moved to be prescribed the lethal dose , patients have been harmed . In 2008 , cancer patient Barbara Wagner was prescribed a chemotherapy treatment by her doctor , but Oregon 's state-run health plan sent a letter which denied coverage of this chemo , yet offered to cover other `` treatments , '' including assisted suicide . The same scenario happened to another Oregon resident , Randy Stroup . The Oregon assisted suicide reports tell us that over 95 % of those who supposedly received lethal prescriptions in Oregon had insurance , but how many got a denial like the one sent to Wagner and Stroup ? When assisted suicide is encouraged , it becomes a covered `` treatment '' and ultimately removes choices from patients . Assisted suicide 's supposed `` safeguards '' are hollow . Nothing in the Oregon , Washington and Vermont laws prevents an heir or caregiver from suggesting assisted suicide as an option , taking the person to the doctor to sign up and witnessing the consent form . Once the prescription is obtained , with no further witness required , nothing in the law ensures the person 's consent or self-administration at the time of death . More from Opinion : Maynard was courageous and right . With the rising tide of elder abuse in this country , we ca n't ignore the dangers of granting blanket legal immunity to all the participants in an assisted suicide . When voters are given all the facts surrounding assisted suicide , they reject bills to legalize it . This was the case in Massachusetts when Question 2 , which would have legalized assisted suicide in the Bay State , was on the ballot in 2012 but was defeated . In 2014 , bills again in Massachusetts , Connecticut and New Hampshire failed because of lack of support in the legislature . Brittany Maynard 's story is incredibly heart-wrenching . When you look at assisted suicide based on one individual , it often looks acceptable . But when you examine how legalization affects the vast majority of us -- especially those most vulnerable -- the dangers to the many far outweigh any alleged benefits to a few .
Diane Coleman : I am deeply troubled about the Brittany Maynard media swarm . Coleman : Legalizing assisted suicide would harm the chronically ill , elderly or disabled . She says mixing a cost-cutting `` treatment '' into our broken health care system is a bad idea . Coleman : If assisted suicide is encouraged , it may well take choices away from patients .