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> 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. Mackenzie, I love your well thought out logic. Your question is an intelligent one. If a person is *well* and chooses to refrain from eating than it is within the purview of the medical community to force feed the patient in order to save a life. We do this all of the time with anorexics. Likewise, we endeavor to save the lives of suicides and make every attempt to ensure that they exist in a very safe environment while in the hospital. >> and if hospice is assisting in such an endeavor, that would be, as you >> say yourself, assisted suicide - right? When a person is *terminally ill* (Hospice cannot be ordered unless the patient has six months or less to live) and no longer wishes to employ extraordinary means in order to stay alive, the medical community does not have the right to intervene. In fact, to do so would be considered assault. The medical community does not have the right to end the person's life through medication or other means either - that is considered murder. In fact, we have a responsibility to keep patients alive regardless of their cerebral function if that be the wish of the family - or the patient (spelled out in a living will). There have been several tragic cases in the past year of medical personnel actively ending the lives of infirm, elderly people. In each case, the perpetrator was brought to trial and convicted of murder. In the end......it is all about the law. ---------- God bless Mary Ann ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn