Thanks for posting this, [MENTION=3230]Galileo[/MENTION]. It is a wonderful article.
Having worked for many years at a nursing home, I know firsthand the tragedy of those who wish to die with dignity and without suffering.
It was heartbreaking to be told I need to remind elderly residents with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia daily of their spouse's death and have them relive their grief as if it had just happened; which to them, it had. It was difficult to watch family members insist that their relative be tube-fed to keep them alive, in spite of the fact that other family members insisted that this was something the individual had said they did not want, but had no written advance health care directive.
Death is a natural part of life; why do we fight it so hard? Why do we insist people suffer through an illness when we aren't the one's in their position? It seems we truly do value life at all costs, and many turn a blind eye to what living with suffering actually means. The advances in medicine have allowed us to live longer; why should they not be utilized to assist us in dying comfortably when the time draws near?