My Brother in Law passed away yesterday.

[pb4uski]

SWR,

Sorry for your loss. Your BIL is indeed lucky that he lives in an area that allows death with dignity.

It seems to me that we often treat our pets with more dignity than our loved ones in that once a pet is obviously suffering with no hope of recovery we can decide to put them to sleep and end their suffering.

A friend of DMIL took advantage of Vermont's death with dignity law earlier this year. There are many hoops to jump through to ensure that greedy heirs are not rushing things along.... once the hoops have been jumed through the patient gets a prescription that they must administer themselves.

The Act lays out a step-by-step process for a patient and doctor to follow. It begins with a diagnoses and prognosis of a terminal and incurable illness that will, within medical judgment, take place within six months. Once that determination has been made, a patient may make an oral request of his or her physician to be prescribed a dose of medication that, if taken, would hasten death. The process requires, among other things, both oral and written requests, witnesses, and the second opinion of a physician. Every step must be voluntary by both the patient and the physician.