thanks for sharing your experiences, kris & kiya & also the rest.
though my religion doesn't permit one to end life (either his/her own or that of others), i dare not say anything for myself for i might contradict my own self if i were to say YEA or NAY.
as for assisting death, kiya's experiences with her cats are closest that i can relate to. i have kitties that die as i helplessly watch. wished i had a few syringes of lethal doses to ease the pain. i rear fish as well & there are times when some of them would just die. & as for the case of fish, i would just sever the head from the abdomen to end the pain. i can tell u the dying ones are not the only one with pain. recently i had a kitty that has some kind of disease that ate her away slowly. i was torn between ending her struggle & helping her to get through it. who am i to judge that it's time for her to cease when she might have hope & at the same time, i have no right to prolong her painful life?
things like this, i am very much undecided but i would pray for guidance.
about 'braindead' phenomenon, this is still quite dubious for me. whatever advances & knowledge we have so far in the field of medicine & human biology are still inadequate to determine what 'life' is. so what basis is good enough to tell if someone is 'braindead' or no longer there? maybe it isn't the mind that breaks down, rather the physical body. well going further into this will be very much off-topic.
back into topic, if one deems him/her self no longer interested in prolonging life, either due to loss of limbs or tired of fighting disease, or just want out, who is to stop them? i don't think 'rights' has anything to do with it as that word is pertaining to law & man-made laws shouldn't dictate one's life; be it prolonging or cutting it short. i would advise to hold on but if one wants to cut it short, so be it.
your life. your choice. i won't & hope not to play God.
