The patient required a respirator because he was paralyzed and had muscular dystrophy. I'm sure there was great suffering, but "suffering" is a subjective term. Where does one draw the line? Some people are mentally ill and suffering "torture" just by thinking their next thought. Some people are in "torture" as diabetics, or quadroplegics, etc. Although I would never WISH such a sad fate as Piergiorgio, Christ shows us there is redemption in the smallest and the greatest suffering.
The implication here is great, because his life or death came down to the opinion of a doctor, who agreed with his patient. Piergiorgio could not have died without the assistance and assent of the doctor. It opens the door to the "expert" opinion of other doctors to place a death sentence on comatose patients, patients who have irreversible brain damage, or patients who have no will to live whatsoever.
I'm sure that the last few years of Pope John Paul II's life were torture...
If a person makes a concious decision that he/she "has no will to live" with a terminal illness, shouldn't they be allowed to decide enough is enough?