The state of New Jersey is considering following four other states in legalizing physician-assisted suicide. The Death with Dignity Act  would allow people with less than six months to live to receive a prescription for a fatal cocktail and then to commit suicide at the time of their choosing in the privacy of home. Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a debate on the merits of the proposed law. While I oppose this act, the wisest comments were not from the panel, but from the "audience  who carried on a vocal and revealing discussion and taught me a great deal. While many people spoke, and all were interesting and articulate, there were two stories that, at least for me, paraphrased the core ideas. These comments placed physician-assisted suicide in the context of modern society. The first was a woman who described her life over the past few years and the future that she seeks. She is a nurse with a long experience working in hospitals, nursing homes and even in hospice care. She is now dealing with her second cancer, which has metastasized and from which she will eventually die. She is receiving excellent care, including chemotherapy, and for now the disease is in control, and she is living a great life. She reflected that she loves each day, and fights for every quality moment. She plans to continue to do whatever it takes to live well for as long as she can, however, she knows that the cancer will eventually end her life. She does not plan to commit suicide, but absolutely refuses to live a life without quality. Therefore, just in case her condition deteriorates to the point that it is leached of all beauty  and meaning, she wants to have the option of suicide. As she has a long attachment to the medical profession, she trusts doctors to provide that gentle end. The second illuminating comments came from the family of a man who recently died of lung cancer. The daughters of this patient detailed a long chain of