Dilemma again!

Was reading BBC online when I came across two distinct articles but both regarding something of an issue. One was about prisoners on hunger strike being force- fed through nasogastric tubes in Guantanamo. The other was about a debate in the Lords over assisted death (euthanasia). As a medical student, these two events stir up some confusion within me.

In Guantanamo, prisoners were forced fed by medical officers of the US forces. Now the international convention is that when a prisoner or someone goes on a hunger strike, the doctor is only there to advice him against it and inform the risk of doing such things. In other words, the doctor is not suppose to forcefully end the hunger- strike and if the person dies or goes into coma, then it is not the doctor's fault.

In the Lords, the debate is about helping terminal patients "die with dignity"versus improving palliative care so as to ensure their passing eventually. "Do no harm" So is assisting terminal patients to die a case of harm or just simply hastening the process.

Personally, I feel that helping a person die is equal to killing him. Even if your're dying, fight on till the end. Then people will say this person died fighting and will respect him/her. But of course I cannot imagine the agony and pain a person goes through but I will not help him die.