Assisted suicide/right-to-die: Where do you stand? The recent case of the assisted suicide of Bettina Schardt in Germany has brought new life to this old debate. Ms. Schardt, however, was not dying - she just didn't want to go to a nursing home. You can read the article here.

If Bettina wanted to die, does she have that right? Should Roger Kusch, the man who helped her die, be prosecuted?

This elderly woman was 79 years old, nothing was said if she was in pain or not.  I'm wondering why such a fear in elderly Germans going into nursing homes.  Is the care so horrid, they don't want to face it?  Or is it giving up their freedom etc?  Bottomline here, it was her choice.

Dr Kevorikian was in prison for 8 years, helping only terminally ill patients, who chose to die.  Every person has the right to die with dignity, but so many anymore, with medical advancements are subjected to horrendous measures to be kept alive.  I admire him for his convictions, dedication and perserverence.  I've known many physicians who just would not allow any steps to ease the suffering and wouldn't give up.  They seem to take it as a personal affront to their knowledge and skills, rather than a humanistic approach.  I just hope when it's my turn, the physician I've chosen listens to my requests and allows me to die with dignity.

A few months before my father died, his primary care physician fought hard against the decision my step mother and I made, to put Dad into hospice care.  His argument was I can't keep him alive if you do this.  My Dad, in one of the few times he ever talked back to a doc said.....You don't understand, I'm ready to die.  My mind is going, my physical stamina is gone.  I can't play golf or gp places and do things I used to do.  My heart isn't functioning beyond 15% and I'm tired.  So into hospice he went.  He said to one of nurses, he absolutely adored, the day he left the hospital for the last time.  "I want to thank you for taking care of me.  I won't ever see you again"  She cried, I cried, Lida cried.  Dad smiled and 6 weeks later he died.  So, does this mean we assisted him in a right to die situation?  Yes, it does.  We didn't give him drugs to die, instead once he actually physically went into a hospice center, his drugs were reduced, he slipped into a coma after two days there and died 6 days later.

I agree with everyone whenyou say its a controvisal topic.  When you have the issue of assisted sucide come up there are great debates that will always follow.  The thing that I would have questions about is if we decided that a person could choose to live or die, would there be exceptions.  Like you can only choose to die if your terminal, would there be stipulations on the amount of time expected to live.  can you decide to die if you have no relatives and dont want to go to a nursing home.  Its all just to much.  I dont think I would want to be the one assisting with the death of anyone.