When I was in high school I did a research paper on assisted suicide and it focused heavily on Jack Kevorkian, who at the time was leading the charge for euthanasia in my home state of Michigan.

It's something that occurs all the time and that people don't talk about. I know in hospice care, it happens and it shouldn't be something that is "hidden" or "shameful." It should be facilitated properly and above board.

Recently I had to put down my dog, Hemingway. It was the hardest thing I've had to do and would have been much more difficult had it not been legal for me to enlist the help of a professional.

I had a vet come to our home and I held him while she injected him. He slowly nodded off and died in my arms as I sobbed.

It was just me and her. She helped me with his body and gave me a big hug after. I couldn't even speak. It was horrendous. But had I been forced to watch him suffer until he died of his own afflictions, it would have been far worse for both of us.

How is it we treat out pets with more dignity than our fellow humans?