I don't know much about the details of exactly how these assisted suicides are performed, but Ashcroft apparently felt that a lot of them could be eliminated by prohibiting the use of "scheduled" drugs. I am also relatively ignorant about the details concerning why some people need assistance with their suicides. Presumably, there exists some sort of coincidence involving profound physical incapacity, extreme discomfort, a hopeless prognosis and the desire to quit living.