Ending Life Due To Medical Issues

Ironically I had thought about posting this topic yesterday and the whole "Death with Dignity" topic brought it back into my mind. This is kind of an offshoot of "Death with Dignity" with a more personal nature to it.

Obviously suicide is illegal and largely looked down upon in this country. We look at suicide as an ultimately selfish act, that those people aren't thinking about the family and friends they are impacting. I think this viewpoint ironically is far more selfish than the selfish act of suicide but nonetheless this is the main argument against suicide.

When someone commits suicide it's usually for mental health reasons. The individual usually suffers from depression, PTSD, anxiety, bi-polar disorder or other mental health disorders. Either that or they have had such a personal loss (spouse, child, livelihood) that they no longer want to keep living. But what about people who want to commit suicide not simply because of a Mental Health Issue or due to losing someone but because of medical conditions that impact their quality of life?

This is where it gets personal for me. I myself have medical conditions that impact my quality of life. I suffer from high blood pressure which is hereditary and if like my dad will probably lead me to suffering from heart disease. I also suffer from persistent hemorrhoids which needless to say causes occasional bloody stools and general discomfort when going. Gastroenterologist tried the CRH O'Reagan hemorrhoidal banding procedure, didn't work. They ended doing both an Endoscopy and Colonoscopy, not colon cancer, just hemorrhoids and a slight case of GERD. Still, the hemorrhoids are there. I can't even use regular toilet paper anymore. I mostly use baby wipes.

I also suffer from Allergic Asthma but my case is bad enough to where it has made flying difficult the last 2 1/2 years. I've talked to several doctors about it, they think it's all mental. It still scares the heck out of me but the idea of not being able to travel scares me far more.

To emphasize, I am not suicidal, I would never do that to my parents. Now after my parents are gone I guarantee nothing. To me and to many individuals (including many on this board) life is more about quality than quantity. I (and many others) do believe that our quality of life is lessened due to medical conditions.

Should society accept that a lot of people who commit suicide do it not out of selfishness or due to Mental Health Issues but simply to end the pain they suffer from due to Medical Issues? Should the stigma on people wanting to end life due to Medical Issues go away? Should doctors be allowed to help people who have Medical Issues and simply decide to end their own life because they can not experience the life that they truly want?