I recently had the deeply moving privilege to accompany an extraordinary human being, my brother-in-law Willem Jewett, through the last moments of his journey on Earth.

Willem was passionate about life, one of the most fit people I’ve ever met, had a great sense of humor and a can-do attitude, and served the people of Vermont for 14 years as a legislator and House majority leader. One of his contributions to Vermont law was his work on Act 39, Vermont’s “Death with Dignity” law that allows the terminally ill to receive medication that will hasten the end of their lives.

In an ironic twist of fate, Willem used an Act 39 prescription to end the suffering caused by his aggressive mucosal melanoma. In the weeks before his death, he used his experience in following the law to advocate for improvements that would make it easier for those with incurable illness to have some control over their last days.

Dr. Mark J. Rollo’s letter of Jan. 15 advocates against a similar proposed law in Massachusetts, which he refers to as “physician-assisted suicide” — a highly charged term designed to turn people against the concept before understanding it. He makes the parallel with his opposition to capital punishment — that even one mistake is too many — and points out that Germany killed psychiatric patients in the years leading up to the Holocaust. He cites statistics that Massachusetts communities with more people of color tended to be more against a similar initiative in 2012 than those with more white residents. He intimates that this makes death with dignity provisions racist and unjust.

Yet, like abortion protections, no one is required to use this law just because it exists. The Vermont law has plenty of safeguards — Willem felt too many — and in the nine years since its passage, only 116 people have received the end-of-life prescription. I am very concerned about arguments that seem “progressive” because they reference equity and race, yet in fact advocate for fewer options for people of color.

There is no evidence from Vermont or any other state with a similar law that insurance companies are coercing poor people into ending their lives or that giving humans the same choice and control for ourselves that we use for our beloved animals will lead to mass extermination; the argument is ridiculous when looked at honestly, and I say this as someone who considers myself a social justice warrior.

I feel great gratitude that someone I love could face his death with so much courage and know that he would not have to linger in suffering when his time came. I applaud Sen. Jo Comerford’s efforts and hope the residents of Massachusetts will soon have this choice.

Kira Jewett lives in Florence.