Euthanasia

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11. The people who are dying of old age now...

Are really the first generation of people where there is such a great potential to prolong life. I think we are in the middle of a learning process.

Also the people who are dying of old age are the parents of baby boomers - the world has always catered to baby boomers.

The more medicine advances, the more we will, as a culture, recognize when 'heroic medical intervention' is a waste of time.

Of course not all people who wish to be euthanized are dying of old age, but I think it is that generation of people who are coming up against the prospect of their parents death that makes death so hard to accept.

I'm not in support of euthanasia in most cases, but I think we should allow people to die without intervention - if that is their wish. There are cases where people are given too much pain medication and they die, I think that is ok for people who's life consists entirely of pain.

To answer your question: IMHO, I don't believe it's the big money keeping people alive - I think families are having trouble letting go. I think we are getting a better idea (because of these efforts) how often it will work versus how often it is just causing more pain for the person and the family.