I've already stated elsewhere that I consider suicide to be a personal decision, not one which the state has any business trying to prevent. In that same line, if a person wants to die, due to some incurable illness which prevents him from actually performing the suicide himself, then there should be legal provisions for his loved ones, or some neutral party, to assist.

But all decisions must come from the dying person. And they must be at least rational. An insane person cannot, by definition, make a rational decision. A person in a coma cannot make such a decision. They could, of course, set out conditions for their termination ahead of time, a living will kind of thing, but one which includes termination, not just forbidding resuscitation.

As denuseri said, that hospice nurse may be injecting her own beliefs into her observations. There have been many instances of people waking up during surgeries, paralyzed but aware and in pain. There have been reports of people waking from comas and reporting on things that went on around them, or of experiencing pain during their comas. In truth, we do not know how much someone might be suffering while unconscious, only that we cannot see that they are suffering. While this may help us cope, it doesn't help the patient.

So yes, I think assisted suicide should be permitted. And in some cases, termination of unconscious patients. We insist on allowing people their dignity in life. Why can't they retain that dignity while facing death?