Barbara Barrie, Oscar-nominated actor, dies with medical assistance at 95 - NBC News
Oscar-nominated actor Barbara Barrie has died at age 95 using New York's medical aid in dying law. Barrie, who suffered from terminal cancer and lung disease, was a vocal advocate for the right to choose the timing of one's death.
Why it matters
The story highlights the practical application of recent right-to-die legislation and the ongoing societal debate surrounding end-of-life care.
Oscar-nominated actor Barbara Barrie died Wednesday at her New York City home with medical assistance. She was 95. Her agent, Gary Gersh, confirmed in a statement Thursday that Barrie’s death was “medically assisted in accordance with the New York State Medical Aid in Dying law, of which she was a proponent and advocate.” The law, which took effect Aug. 5, allows terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to obtain self-administered prescription medications to end their lives. Barrie’s daughter, Jane Harnick, said her mother had been diagnosed with terminal cancer but had always advocated “for the right to die on your own terms.” “Her whole life, even before she was ill with anything, she always said, ‘When the time comes, I want to just take something and go to sleep.’ She used to talk about that,” Harnick said in a phone interview.
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Barbara Barrie Dies at Ninety-Five With Medical Assistance in New York
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6 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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