Brittany Maynard’s death not expected to galvanize end-of-life movement

The death of Brittany Maynard has renewed attention on physician-assisted suicide, but medical ethicists and political activists said Monday that significant legal change would probably take much more time to evolve.

Maynard, who had brain cancer, chose to end her life Saturday as she had promised about a month earlier, when she and her husband moved from Northern California to Portland, Ore., where physician-assisted suicide is legal.

Washington, Montana, Vermont and New Mexico are the other states that allow terminal patients to seek medical help to die.

Maynard’s decision to end her life sparked a flurry of publicity, but legalizing physician-assisted suicide in more states is expected to be a difficult process, said bioethicist Arthur Caplan of New York University Langone Medical Center.

“I think the debate will likely get a nudge from Brittany Maynard’s decision to go public, but I’m not sure it will get a huge push,” Caplan said.

“It’s not because she wasn’t effective and not because she didn’t generate tremendous empathy,” he said. “The group she is engaging is notoriously difficult to get focused on end-of-life issues.”

Maynard’s case seemed to resonate with a younger audience. She would have turned 30 on Nov. 19.

Young people have been a force in dealing with gay rights and legalizing marijuana, but end-of-life issues are more the terrain of an older generation, Caplan said. More than 750 people in Oregon had used the law to die as of Dec. 31. The median age of the deceased was 71. Only six were younger than 35.

“It will be a stimulus to extend physician assistance to more states, but I’m not sure it is a mighty river,” Caplan said. “It’s more like a small stream.”

Maynard’s story, featured on the cover of People magazine, has brought attention to Compassion & Choices, the group she was working with.

“The response has been absolutely overwhelming,” said spokesman Sean Crowley. “We’re looking at more than 5 million unique visitors to the Brittany fund website over the past month. Her two videos have been viewed over 13 million times.

“Additionally, while we’re not releasing fundraising numbers, I can tell you that thousands of people have donated for the first time to the death with dignity movement via the Brittany fund,” he said.

Perhaps the most immediate effect of Maynard’s death will come in California, which Maynard had to leave to find help.

Efforts to legalize physician-assisted suicide through legislation have failed before, said Charmaine Manansala, California political and field director for Compassion & Choices.

“We have seen increased interest in the issue,” she said. But it is too soon to know whether the group will again seek legislative action or will go the referendum route, Manansala said.

Maynard was diagnosed with brain cancer Jan. 1, and doctors predicted she had months to live. In her final days, she visited Yellowstone National Park and Alaska, and her last trip was to the Grand Canyon with her husband.

“The world is a beautiful place, travel has been my greatest teacher, my close friends and folks are the greatest givers,” she wrote in a Facebook post shortly before she died.

michael.muskal@latimes.com

Twitter: latimesmuskal