http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8490062.stm

Good on him...

...but it's sad that he's thinking along those terms.
His illness is such a tragedy.

I'd like to point out that ageing is a terminal illness. No one lives forever.

Whatever the circumstances, I don't think anyone should be forced to live against their will. It's cruelty you'd not inflict on a dog, so why do it to people?

Of course it's sad. Life can be tragic.

A large part of me feels we should not be able to determine our own fates. It's not as if we have a choice about our births, so why should we be concerned about how we are going to die? I would personally prefer to be wide awake and stare death in the face when my time comes, rather than hiding and hoping to die in my sleep.

Another part of me completely understands. I've seen many people running around demented, no awareness of who they are, where they are or what they're doing. They walk around trying to yank out their catheters or go wandering in the middle of the night with no clothes on. They are essentially waiting around until they die.

Despite this, I, and a number of my colleagues, would find it difficult to be the one person who deliberately causes another's death in these circumstances.