[Secret Agent Man]

Being kept alone artificially is not natural, I do not have problems with people saying no to that technology. With certain terminal diseases like ALS, being trapped in your own body and not being able to live, but merely exist and not even interact, I don’t call that living either. In the olden days these people would have died quickly. Back then people were grateful the sick were out of their suffering.

[Secret Agent Man]

Alive, not alone. Geez...!

[lee martell]

You summed up my feelings exactly.
I could not have been part of her party tho. I’m too much like John Boehner at certain times; Verklempt!

[NohSpinZone]

“Being kept alone artificially is not natural, I do not have problems with people saying no to that technology.”

That’s exactly right and thank you for bringing this point up. My father suffered from the progressively debilitating effects of ALS for three years. The only thing he demanded of us was not to keep him alive by mechanical means a la Stephen Hawking. It’s horror enough to watch a loved one die one muscle at a time. It’s hell on Earth to be the one going through it. My dad did not commit suicide but he certainly did not want his life prolonged one second longer. Nor did we, for that matter.

[Dr. Sivana]

In the olden days these people would have died quickly.

My best childhood friend's mom was diagnosed with ALS in her early '60's, about 20 years ago. She is still alive. While I admit that she isn't dong well now, the encroachment of the disease was greatly slowed for at least 15 years. As little as a year ago my family visited her and her husband, and for a woman in her '80s she wasn't worse off cognitively than many other folks in their '80s, and was at that point was still able to live with her husband in assisted living. She got to see her grandchildren grow up, and she has been loved by her husband (who has been fighting slow growing cancer for much of this time, Korean war vet) and her extended family.

At 41, there can still be a lot of life left to live, and as others have noted, more breakthroughs are possible. In any event, there can be value to suffering, if accepted with love and forbearance. Poor woman.