Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide - Pros And Cons - Argue, Opponents, Care, and Proponents - JRank Articles
This looks like a very tough issue. One thing, many checks and balances would be needed in case of government overreaching of authority, abuse, corruption, and just plain evil actions.
I also see it as a very personal choice but the government has to be brought in for many legal reasons.
I had the brother --Jim G., -- of my sister-in-law Laura G., kill himself in Virginia about twelve days ago. He was mentally ill and I guess he came to a place where he had no hope. My brother and sister-in-law did have to go identify the body, manage whatever belongings he had, and then hire a lawyer to deal with the leftovers of a life. They were all estranged so there are a lot of legal problems following his suicide. There's always a wake within the family pool of actions like Jim's suicide even if the person tries to lessen it. Laura G., will probably be always wondering if there had been anything she could have done to prevent this from happening.
I only met Jim G., at my brother and sister-in-law's wedding about 22 years ago. He spent many years in India as a transcendental meditation trainer/coach. Moved back to VA about five years ago and started to unravel with respect to mental stability over the past few years. I have never been to Virginia, so I never had a second chance to get to know Jim G.