This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Thursday, February 4th, 2016.

I'm Caleb Brown.

Just a handful of U.S. states either permit aid in dying or are poised to do so, ethical questions about the process of

helping someone else die remain.

At a recent Cato Policy Forum Barbara Mancini of compassion and choices told her own story about the death of her father.

First I want to state the obvious.

You are going to die.

The people you love and care about will die.

Everyone dies.

It is a universal experience.

Unfortunately, It is a universal experience. Unfortunately in the United States,

we have a lot of difficulty discussing the end of life.

We live in a culture that is profoundly disturbed by the concept of death.

And it's kind of like acknowledging the reality of dying is an admission of defeat.

That's one reason why only 26% of Americans have completed end of life directives.

These are the legal documents that have your end of life wishes in writing.

If you don't have this, what will happen if you become unable to make your own health care decisions? You need to have a health care

decision maker or proxy who knows your values, preferences, and wishes at the end of life.

These discussions are vitally important because we die differently in 2016.

A hundred or even 50 years ago, people lived shorter lives.

Well, we now have medical treatments and technology that allow people to live well into old age, even those who have significant

or life-threatening health problems.

...