MAKING A CHOICE ABOUT DYING

The right-to-die issue undoubtedly is one of the toughest issues facing this nation. Should compassion -- under the guidance of a physician -- take precedence over the moral imperative to respect life to the fullest? The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to make a ruling on this issue by summer. It will be a difficult decision.

Several justices wondered during recent oral arguments whether this should be decided by a court rather than by legislators in individual states. Oregon, for example, already allow patients who are expected to live less than six months to request a lethal dose of drugs.

There is, it seems, a marked difference between individuals choosing on their own to end their lives and choosing to stop living in consultation with a physician. The medical issues appear to outweigh the emotional ones.

Thanks to the success of medical efforts to prolong life almost indefinitely, the High Court now must choose whether to make a Solomon's choice or defer to state legislators.