having watched a terminally ill loved one struggle for every breath, unable to walk or talk without oxygen being forced into his lungs and us having the choice of him not being resussitated if he arrested i can truly say he chose not to be resussitated and I had to sign the form stating his wishes. this was the hardest thing i ever have done, but it was what he wanted and we both knew he had had enough struggling and would never get better.
now i have a deteriorating condition, no one can tell me how much worse this will get, if it continues the course it is on at present, i will be a brain in a dead body that is struggling to breathe in a couple of years time, do i want to live like that, honestly no! would i like the option to end my life whilst i still have some dignity and control, definitely i would, after all i have done everything i have wanted to do, had the dream man , had the dream job, ran my own buisness, been to all the places i ever wanted to go, experienced more than i wanted and although i am only in my 40's, i feel i have lived my life to the full and had more experiences than most in their 90's for which i am grateful, so if i had the choice to end my life tomorrow, end my pain and suffering i definitely would.
i feel everone should have the right to choose their end, but it has to be totally their choice and they have to be given all the info around their illnesses progression and the options available so they can make a fully informed decision. Any sign of pressure from another person and the option should be revisited after a thorough session with a psych to ensure the choice is really what the patient wants for themself, not just for others.