Mass voters should approve Question 2. Give people the opportunity to control the time of death, if they are already dying. It's very simple.

Vote to approve Q#2. This article's arguments are invalid at best.

The question is unnecessary. Doctors now increase pain drugs to the point where breathing stops in terminal patients, every day.

Oregon and Washington have had Physician Assisted Suicide for years. The programs are viewed favorably by the citizens of those states and have encountered none of the problems described in this article. What these program have done is relieve large amounts of needless pain and suffering, both psychological and physical, among the terminally ill or those with no hope of recovery from dreadful illnesses. Mr. Keane has invented concerns which the real world has proven to be groundless.

PolitiFact called Sarah Palin's assertions about health reform and death panels "The Lie of the Year." Now comes Tom Keane with the accusation that an Oregon health plan proposed suicide instead of chemotherapy and that they'd be happy to pay for it. This has to be at least the "Lie of the Day." No letter with that suggestion has ever been produced and when the accusation was spread by the Weekly Standard and National Review, PolitiFact-Oregon investigated. The truth of the matter is as follows, "The Oregon Health Plan covers nearly all chemotherapy prescribed for cancer patients, including the multiple rounds of chemotherapy that the woman in this case received. The request for second-line treatment was denied because of the drug's limited benefit and very high cost." This is the kind of calculation that is made in medicine all the time. There may be someone who believes that the milk from albino yaks would be an effective treatment for lung cancer, but, without some research and proof of effectiveness, one should not expect it to be paid for by public or private health insurance plans.

It's another question of choice... Once you have the choice, you can make a clear and well thought out decision... Without choice there is nothing...

This is a lightweight article about an important topic. Who does Mr. Keane speak for? Certainly not the terminally ill who would like to ease their suffering and pass in a time of their choosing. Several studies point to the positives that families experience when a loved one determines their own fate. Due to the numerous safeguards put in place to assure that a person is of sound mind, many discussions occur among family members so that the everyone is confident that the wishes of the dying are being met. This can provide great peace of mind for family members and helps to produce a "good death". (Steinhauser, K.E., Clipp, E.C., McNeilly, M., Christakis, N.A., McIntyre, L.M., Tulsky, J.A. 2000) Mr. Keane is re-hashing old myths that have very little bearing on the day to day experience of the terminally ill. It would have been nice if he had done a more in depth analysis. The issue deserves it.

To Tom's point that if given a choice of suicide upon a diagnosis of imminent death, patients would lose many happy moments in the final days: I suspect many of the people who kill themselves now, with difficulty and often trauma for their families, would wait until the last moment if they knew they could end their lives when the pleasant moments were gone and only pain, indignity and helplessness remained. In fact, the happiness of many of us in our final years might be enhanced if the fear of an ignominious end were removed. And yes, doctors often "assist" at the end with pain medications; but I'm old enough to remember when this wasn't allowed; it happens now primarily because of the advocacy of "right to die" groups that made society and doctors acknowledge the problem.

I've been a hospice volunteer for seven years and spent all of that time with dying patients and their families. I've probably visited over 40 patients during those years. Only two or three times have I ever heard a patient say they wanted to die. In all cases those patients repeated that sentiment to me several times. In all cases I tried to help them find reasons to live. On one occasion I had a spouse confide in me that she wished her husband's misery could end. I feel strongly that if the law is passed there will be very few patients who choose that path. I feel just as strongly that patients and families should have the choice and make the decision. Invoking Dr. Kevorkian's name is an unfair way of polarizing the conversation. There are valid concerns on both sides and I hope the discussion will continue so that the voters will be able to make an informed decision.

It sounds like Keane is representing the Catholic Church in this discussion. If you'd like to read how physicians handle their own end of life: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203918304577243321242833962.html

Terminally I'll, Iam taking myself out ,State law can punish me when they catch up with me.Yes to legalized suicide.

does anyone EVER give any credit to any human beings to be able to THINK -- beyond their own selfish selves as Mr. Keane seems to be doing? The comments alone about what Ted Kennedy might have done or not done had this law been in effect smacks of the most offensive ignorance I've heard in a long time -- and these days there's a lot of that going around but this takes the cake --- REALLY??? PLEASE.............................

Vote No on 2. You'll be dead long enough, what's your hurry?

Thank you for the views of the Catholic Church. However, we are not all members of that church. This ballot question removes the church and the government from the last decision an INDIVIDUAL HUMAN BEING can make. By all means, revere your religious faith, Mr. Keene. But do not impose your theology and pop psychology on others. Live the way you like. Die the way you prefer. Voter YES if you really believe in freedom.

Good point. Interesting linked article.