Interesting Newspaper poll, Your thoughts?

[Paper Roses]

This is in the Salem News, Salem MA. March 4, 2010 (cut and pasted)

This week's poll:

The Massachusetts Legislature is currently considering a bill that would allow individuals with terminal illness, after consulting with a physician, to end their own lives. Do you favor such a measure?
Yes 82.35%
No 17.65%
********************

I am in favor of such a measure. I hope it passes. No-one would force this choice but I would like to have the opportunity to make that decision for myself. There is no-one to care for me, and everything I own would have to be sold so that I could die in some for-profit home. I will go out my way if I have a choice.

I believe the poll runs for the week and results will be posted in the weekend issue.

[Greybnk48]

1. I'm all for it too. Why be forced to suffer for the sake

of someone else's beliefs.

[Warpy]

2. Most terminally ill people who have the means

gain a great deal of peace of mind knowing the easy exit is there if it gets too hard and most people never use that exit. That's been the pattern in every single place that allows doctors to supply their terminal patients with overdoses and a quick exit.

Every nurse who has ever taken care of an Alzheimer's patient has a plan.

[DKRC]

3. Thom talked about that

on his show, yesterday I think. Your Dr. writes you a prescription of phenobarbital or the equivalent, and you have it available from that point on. Thom said that in most cases the person died without using the prescription, but it was there if they needed it. Just knowing that you have the means to end your suffering if you can't go on one more day seems to be the best way to me.

I watched my Dad suffer through the end of bone cancer last August. The morphine wasn't even touching the pain the last few weeks. If he'd had the option to end it sooner I would have held the glass for him.