From my perspective -- after the patient dies -- I can really see how the comfort/care of the patient was the number one priority with the family/decision makers. I deal mainly with religious families (the cemetery is owned by congregations) from mildly observant to Orthodox, and hands down, very little of the end of life decisions were dictated by anything other than raw emotion. Now, when it comes to burial rituals.... suddenly everyone is Orthodox!!
I cannot stress how timely this topic is, due to the fact that it asks a person to re-define what a merciful -- in a non-religious definition -- death really is(current psyche holding it counter-intuitive to "deny" prolonged life care)
