There has always been the opportunity for voluntary euthanasia, I believe it is referred to as suicide, at least in English.
I know that isn't quite what you are talking about. I have seen a few different documentaries on this subject. Personally, I don't have an issue with this be it assisted suicide as it has been called in the US (Dr Kevorkian) or euthanasia, for those who are suffering from a malady whose conclusion is clear and may entail extreme hardship.
I know a man who has ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and has been in a hospital bed using a ventilator for a decade. His ability to communicate is exceedingly limited but he chose all those years ago to go onto a ventilator knowing that short of an infection he would remain in that state for a long time and would never be able change the moment of his departure. Sadly in the years since, his wife has divorced him, his five children really don't know him (his twins were born after he went onto the ventilator). His deep religious convictions and his desire to see some part of his children's lives drove him to this path which for him is the right way.
Last week the son of a coworker, age 22, chose to end his life, he was a Iraq occupation veteran and was in the midst of getting a degree at a large university. He was physically healthy but apparently there was something within him that was not.
I grew up on a farm, things there are a bit different. When a horse gets old you put them out to pasture, presumably for a long time until they die. A dog you love and keep as best you can, in time they slow no longer doing their job and become a fixture by the wood stove until one day they expire or just disappear. There are things one intends to eat which have a specific date with destiny, some of whom you become the reaper for. Periodically a creature becomes ill well before their expected time, I know city people who intercede with extreme medical care. On a farm it has always been reasonable to 'put them out of their misery', I have to say that more than once I have heard a country person mention that they hope/wish the same could be done for them should the need arise. It may seem a bit cold I suppose but there it is.
I think we all have our limits of what we are willing to endure relative to the value our lives offer us. For the man with ALS his motivations at the time he made his choice have propelled him until now, one may wonder what he wants now. I don't know as I would be able nor want to make the choice he did. My Dad died a few years ago of a rather unpleasant illness, he had to have many transfusions over time to the point where he said he felt like a vampire. Although he died sooner than he expected, I think he eventually intended to check out, stop eating and just go away before he had to leave home and go into hospital for the end.
I think people should be allowed the choice of how they wish to end things in a safe, complete fashion that ensures some other poor soul doesn't have to find the mess we can make of ourselves. I think there need to be clear rules of how it is allowed, how it is done and what your personal involvement is or must be to enact ones end. At the same time I think one also needs to have the choice of riding it to the end, taking all possible measures to get there if that is the way you want to go.