Why should someone be obligated to live as long as they can, at the expense of their quality of life?
I have a friend with a terminal illness who opted for MAID. I'm so thankful that option was available because he was in so much pain at the end. It makes a huge difference to be able to choose a dignified death, surrounded by people you love and who love you.
As someone who has a lot of piercings, I suggest sticking with 1.2mm and up, for stability. Cheese cutter effect is a real concern, and may or may not be able to be fixed by repiercing.
I'm actually looking for cute jewelry for my mom because she was complaining about how the posts on "regular" earrings were so thin, but she doesn't know how to shop for legit piercing jewelry.
I would say it's riskier to stay at less than 1mm as it's so thin that it's more likely to just rip out your ear if it gets caught on hair or clothing. There isn't really a risk in switching between different thicknesses, just be careful when stretching to a bigger size so you don't harm your piercing.