If you want to do it, should be free choice. Simple.

This is a tough one because I do not think I would want to keep living if I was in a slow and painful death. Kevorkian is putting these people out of their misery, but at the same time it is hard to monitor this.

I think that Kevorkian thought long and hard before each decision. When that's the case, I think that assisted suicide should be an option. However, I also worry that there is a lot of potential for abuse -- care is expensive so the family encourages mom or dad to consider suicide as an option. I think a much better choice would be to reevaluate the situation and set firm guidelines for when assisted suicide is and isn't ok.

If someone has a chronic degenerative disease, suicide should be an option. If someone needs help, they should be able to get it.

In my opinion if desired in certain cases, assisted suicide should be allowed but at the same time misuse of it should be ensured.

Under certain circumstances, and provided that there are procedures in place to prevent misuse. then yes assisted suicide should be allowed. If someone is in unbearable pain and is incapable of doing it themselves then allowing assisted suicide is only humanitarian.

I agree with two conditions:

1. Allow it the day we stop abortions.
2. Allow it only for liberals!

I disagree but could be swayed with jo07's conditions! :)

In Switzerland there is an organization that does assisted suicide. People have to sign up for that, and it only works on cases where the people that wants to do it, have no quality of life whatsoever. I think if we put our pets to sleep so they wont suffer... why not help a loved one who doesn't want to suffer anymore and wants to leave his/her body that makes him/her suffer every minute of the day?

In response to Kat: While I think that people might consider t because of costs, I think it only should be allowed if the person that wants iit is aware and within thier mental faculties to decide to go through it. It should not be decided by someone else, not as an assisted suicide.

In response to SallyDP:I don't think it should be allowed as a way out of financial hardships, I do think that it should be a way out for chronic, progressive suffering. IMO assisted suicide is for people who express their wishes before they lose their mental faculties and for people who have retained their mental faculties but are unable to physically commit suicide.

I agree with Kat that it should not be an option in financial crisis.

In response to Kat:
Yes, I agree with you. It has to be something "desired" and arranged before as an extreme situation and circumstances. We are "on the same page"!

In response to jo07:But, abortion is a type of assissted suicide...

In response to SallyDP:This is where I think this can do some good. I should be able to write in my will that I no longer want to live if I cannot remember my wife's name or no longer can breath on my own. This may not be the same choice for everybody, but I should have the right to make it while I am "somewhat" sane.