A woman with ALS shares her last day after choosing "Medical Aid in Dying"

CBS News spent time with Barbara Goodfriend during the final 24 hours of her life after she chose "Medical Aid in Dying." The 83-year-old widow, who was diagnosed with ALS, explained her decision to die with medical assistance.

in reality, its very often the families that want the dying person to die a little quicker....not joking...any twitchm any grimace or even a smile or a movement of the finger they would call for pain meds...the drs would have opened ended pain meds on demand so we nurse had to follow orders...

I swear we had a gay guy dying, he was out of it, but his "friends" with POA sat around like it was a party...every hour they wanted an injection for him, around the clock...he was gone in 24 hrs and they were so happy with their selves....

REPORTER: "Why did you want to share your story?"
WOMAN: "I hope that something will get done, something will be accomplished so that others can have the privilege that I'm having."

^^^^ Right there is where my sympathy ends. She wanted doctors to be allowed to help other people commit suicide all over the country.

REPORTER: "To people who think it's not a great idea for a variety of reasons, what would you say?"
WOMAN: "If it's not a good idea for you, don't consider it. But, there has to be a way for those who want it."

^^^^ I will be kind and simply say she must not have understood how it all works.

No one wants to suffer at the end, but many terminally ill patients want to live as long as possible. Unfortunately, many doctors and nurses treat them as a waste of time, money, effort, and bed space. I witnessed it myself. I was even treated that way once when a hospital listed me incorrectly as terminal. Many patients are pushed into hospice. With 'assisted suicide,' more and more of them will be pushed into suicide.

Kudos to the young man interviewed who made a solid argument against legal assisted suicide. He understands the issue.

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