Let me be clear about death. It is inevitable for each of us, and while it is not to be hurried, it should not be feared. It is not necessary to do all that is technologically possible to prolong human life if the process of death has clearly begun and there is no reasonable hope of reversing that process. A patient who is terminally ill need not avail himself or herself of all that can be done medically to prolong life. To say this, however, is not the same as saying that it is morally acceptable to administer a lethal drug or to otherwise kill another or oneself.
Pain control is morally acceptable.
It is tragic that the availability of pain control is not universally recognized by doctors and their patients. Medical experts tell us it is possible to control most pain. Research should be funded to insure the possibility of pain control in all cases. It is not only pain control that is needed for the terminally ill, however. What is needed is loving acceptance and support for a human being facing the awesome mystery of death.