I often ask myself this same question. I belive the medical profession is all about money. The longer they keep you *alive*, the more they make. It's all about the almighty dollar. I'm all for calling in Dr. Kavorkian.
I'm sorry about your Dad.

I don't get it either. My 40-year-old brother passed 11 months ago of colon cancer, and even he said, in his last stint in the hospital, "If I were a dog, they would've shot me." Chemo was so barbaric. He was in the final stages of Stage IV, and he agreed to chemotherapy. They pumped a liter of the stuff directly into his heart every two weeks when he was already run-down from not being able to eat or digest food. After 5 chemo treatments, he was death-warmed-over, and the doctors finally agreed to remove the 18" of his colon that was cancerous (in hindsight, I think this should have been the first step followed by chemo, but I'll never know). I can say, after 11 months, the hurt does go away. The first few months I'd just break down crying endlessly. You have to let the tears come when they want to. Now I'm filled with a general sense of emptiness. Thank God I've got my parents and a few close friends to hang out with--they help. Just being here sharing helps too. You've made the right choice. I'm sure you'll get a lot of other responses too.

I don't know, but I honestly do believe that if a person wants to quicken the process and lessen the pain it should be legal to do so. With my mom and MIL, there came a time of no hope, and the doctor adn Hospice administered enough pain meds to keep her comfortable, but awake at times, to let us have time for good-byes. My MIL slipped away peacefully, but mom was having a hard time, adn her meds were increased so that basically she slept the last two days, until she gave out, and left us.
I'm sorry about your dad, and that you had to witness such an aweful end to a loved ones life. Hopefully, one day, we will all get to choose is area. Rainbow

I'm a Christian and I believe in the sanctity of life, but I can totally relate to where you're coming from. My dad was in hospital when he had his stroke and fortunately he died within the next 24 hours. I say "fortunately" cos he would hate to have been vegetative. And my fatherinlaw died from prostate cancer, reduced to a shadow of the man he once was. It's certainly not a black and white issue with me.

I do not know the answer.I was with my best friend of 33 years,holding her hand as she died.I was also with my Mother when she died both were very hard.It might sound bad but it was a relife that they were no longer in pain.

First I want to say I am sorry for your loss. I understand what you are saying about watching the ones you love suffer. My husband died a little over a month ago and the last 4 months of his life were terrible for him especially the last week. I agree that it is inhumane for us to let people suffer. When my husband was put on life support 2 days before he died, I had to make the toughest decision of my life to end his. But I knew he never wanted to live like that. I guess in answer to your question, it is our own selfishness of hanging on to the physical being that allows us to accept this practice. I chose to take my husband off the life support and although I know that is what he wanted and that he is no longer in pain, guilt consumes me because I feel like I killed him yet at the same time I feel like I let him suffer too long. It is a double edge sword your damned if you do and damned if you don't.

I know what you mean. My Nan had altzhimmers and although she wasnt in pain, she had no life, the home drugged her and she just sat in a chair, when we would go to visit she was scared of us as she didnt know who we where. Me and my mum just wanted to put a pillow over her head, she wasnt living only exsisiting. I think it should be down to the individual who has an illness. unless they dont have the state of mind, like in the case od altzhimmers I think when you find out you have it you should be able to state at what point you can end your life. It is legal in some countries.

I too watched my mother go very slowly over several months battling an illness and finally dying of organ failure. It took 5 days for her body to shut down and I felt like it was gruesome and cruel. The hospice nurse and visiting minister were very helpful in making me realize that my mother's spirit was still very much with us those last few days even though it seemed like she was already gone and her body was just going through trauma. I believe now that her spirit was in and out and that she was beyond suffering in the sense that physical sensations don't register the way they do when we are fully conscious. In the end, I think she hung on for 5 days so that she could leave us knowing that we were all around her and had come to terms with her dying. I don't know if it applies in your case but if your father had his loved ones around at the end don't you think it was worth the struggle?

I understand, I am still plagued by my memories of my husband and how he suffered especially in his last week. He died of cancer on Oct. 18, 2005. That is the hardest thing for me to understand. Why he had to suffer so? He was such a good man, it doesn't make sense to me but that's the thing I've come to realize, not everything does. Some things we're just never going to understand in this life and somehow we have to try to leave these things in God's hands. Believe me I struggle with this. I'm certainly not saying it's easy but I'm convinced that is the only answer. I felt so out of control during my husband's illness and I was, I guess that's the point. I'm not but a God is.

That is a very good question....I had to put one of my cats down recently, because she had blunt force trauma, and her intistine had broken through her gut wall. If I was an animal, I would have been put down years ago.

However, I also would not have been able to be here on DS and meet so many wonderful people, either.

But if it is different for people because we can talk to each other, understand, and decide, then why is it OK to put to sleep an animal who cannot decide for themselves?

I am not so sure it is the right thing to do either.