[trisham]

I endorse your position in post 4. If I were the victim of locked-in syndrome I know for a fact that I would want death. Living like that is a living hell, in my opinion.

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I understand, I think, how you feel. I am extremely claustrophobic.

However, the will to live and enjoy life is strong. As far as we know, this is our only opportunity for life. It may surprise many of us to know how sweet life may seem when we are facing its end. Even beyond what we may imagine now.

[OldPossum]

Nicely stated, trisham, but I don’t think that I would change my mind. I will live my life under my conditions and those only.

I have even taken the trouble to outline with the help of the family attorney the conditions under which I would choose to not live. They are written in a legal document which the person holding my medical power-of-attorney can take to a court and have upheld. Any hospital personnel who refuse can be sued; if they don’t follow my wishes they will be held in contempt of court—that always gets someone’s attention.

In other words, nourishment of any sort would be withheld until my death. Gruesome (even to me) but preferable to living under intolerable conditions.