<i>If someone is so miserable that they want to die do we really want to make it harder for them?</i><p>That&#x27;s such a deeply complicated question I&#x27;m not sure where to start.<p>To begin with, suicide and euthanasia are not interchangeable concepts.  We have two different words for those concepts for a reason.<p>So let&#x27;s not begin by conflating them.<p>Now, as for suicide specifically, the question is: how many folks choose to commit suicide, and then in the absence of any easy method, don&#x27;t, and then ultimately be glad they <i>didn&#x27;t</i>?<p>That&#x27;s the real challenge of any easy method of suicide.  Someone who is depressed may make a snap decision to end their life, and then do so, when, if they&#x27;d only had some time to consider their decision, they might have chosen to do otherwise.<p>So, to answer your question, yes, I think we <i>should</i> make it harder for them.  Hard enough that it requires a bit of second thought before the decision can be made.  If someone is truly determined to end their own life, a barrier like that won&#x27;t stop them.  But it will prevent those snap decisions from leading to a death that may have been avoided.<p>Lastly, regarding your father, without hearing him speak, we the reader can&#x27;t know if <i>he</i> regretted his choice to live out his days.  I&#x27;m sure it was horrible and painful and a relief when it was done, but that doesn&#x27;t mean his choice was the wrong one.  Going back to my central thesis, I believe euthanasia should be a conscious, thoughtful decision, and never one made on the spur of the moment.<p><i>But since we can&#x27;t know what those people are feeling, they&#x27;re in a better place to make that judgment than we are.</i><p>I actually <i>deeply</i> disagree with this statement.  Are you telling me you believe all folks considering suicide are in a state where they can make an accurate judgment?<p>Have you ever deeply known someone with profound depression?<p>Trust me: someone sufficiently depressed to consider suicide is suffering from an illness, and that illness deeply compromises their ability to make a considered decision in this topic.<p>Yes, I agree, absolutely folks should be able to make their own decision, assuming they are of sound mind.<p>But the vast majority of suicide is not by someone of sound mind.