Ultimately, Edward Schunk owns his life. No one else does. Mr. Schunk is not a slave. He should be able to choose to live his life, or not, based on his own judgment and ideals. It doesn’t matter if we would disagree with Mr Schunk’s ideals personally, since we can’t own his life.

If Mr Schunk chose to abbreviate his life by smoking, should anyone who allowed him access to tobacco be restricted from his inheritance?

If Mr Schunk is in pain and chooses to overdose on prescribed opiates to end his life, has his physician or pharmacist assisted in his suicide? Should they be charged with a crime?

Think of the advancement to human decency when society recognizes that those in horrifying pain, or those facing incapacitation or imprisonment in their bodies, be allowed to complete their lives with grace should they choose to do so. I hope that I am fortunate to never have to make that choice myself. However, I would condemn a society that would deny that choice to me, or punish those that assist in that choice.