ELSEWHERE: Stephen Hawking on Assisted Suicide

To mark the release of a documentary about his life, Stephen Hawking was recently interviewed by the BBC. Hawking gave this reply when asked about assisted suicide: “I think those who have a terminal illness and are in great pain should have the right to choose to end their lives, and those who help them should be free from prosecution. We don’t let animals suffer. So, why humans?” Thankfully, Hawking has bravely chosen to live and to suffer through his illness, even though doctors only gave him three years to live when he was diagnosed at age 21. He’s now 71.