assisted suicide

A few weeks ago when I was thinking about key concepts for the topic of suicide, I thought about assisted suicide, and how often that can be a last resort. I was reading last night in George Howe Colt's The Enigma of Suicide and came across the story of a man who after a heart attack and then a stroke, became paralyzed and left in a vegetative state. This man wanted to end his life. He did not want to lay around in pain and have his family keep his life going. He eventually died of natural causes, and the family felt the burden lifted off their chests. He was free, and out of suffering.

My dad has told us that if he is ever in this sort of condition where he is hanging by a thread and the family's money is going to keep him alive, to pull the plug. He has a (unofficial) signed document that gives permission for him to keep on trucking. I feel this is noble in his sense, thinking about his family's life during this period. And if there is no recovery, why put a burden on the family.

I recently read Chuck Palahniuk's novel Diary, in which the main character's husband attempts suicide by leaving his car running in the garage. His plan fails, and he is left at a vegetative state.