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Mary Ann Ryan <[log in to unmask]> wrote: "I stand four-square against assisted suicide." but also "As for assisted suicide - we already have such a thing. It is called Hospice...all they have to do is get an order for Hospice and insist that *no* further intervention, including IVs, antibiotics, or any medication (including PD meds) be administered. if food and fluids are withheld, death should occur within a two week period hastened along with Morphine and tranquilizers). It's all very simple and legal. " ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- hi mary ann, suicide: the act or an instance of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally (merriam webster online) i don't see how choosing not to eat or drink until such time as one dies, with death as the goal, could be considered anything but suicide - likewise with choosing not to avail oneself of medications or therapies that will keep one alive, knowing that the result will be death, and intending the result to be death must be considered suicide. whether the method i choose is active (shooting myself in the head) or passive (not taking my meds, or not eating or drinking), the intention and the result (death) are the same in each case - therefore they are both suicide. and since you also say "If you insist on attempting suicide, everyone and anyone has the right to save you," which would seem to indicate that you feel that the individual should not be allowed to end her/his life, it would seem to me that you would oppose the ending of one's own life even by passive means. and if hospice is assisting in such an endeavor, that would be, as you say yourself, assisted suicide - right? i guess i am just confused as to how you can be against suicide *and* "assisted suicide" on the one hand, and be supportive of someone choosing to end her/his life via the refusal/withholding of sustenance/medications, with (or without) the assistance of hospice. perhaps you could define "assisted suicide" for me, and tell me how it is different from the hospice situations you describe? thanks, mackenzie --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new resources site!