Another difference is....
In one case a person is dying of natural causes.
While the person being burned at the stake is being murdered.
You might see a similar distinction between a person committing suicide merely because they are depressed, compared to a person who commits suicide by jumping on a hand-grenade to save others.
I understand the danger of saying "Yes. Assisted suicide should be legal" is that it will then be used for people who are having a bad day or for some girl who just broke up with their boyfriend and thinks it's the end of the world.
The grenade example was also brought up in the other thread that I referred to. I, like you (i think), don't believe that a sacrifice, such as the person saving people by jumping on a grenade, is in the same category as suicide. To me, sacrifice does not equal suicide.
In regards to the person being burned at the stake, I agree that it seems a little different because they are being murdered. What if instead of being burned at the stake, they had fallen off a cliff and was being attacked by a heard of animals (lions for example). You realize that you don't have enough ammo to kill all the lions, so instead you shoot the person to avoid the torture of being eaten.
Please understand Knight, I am not trying to play "what if" games even though I bring up what appear to be frivolous "what if"examples. Like I said before, I am asking because this topic has been on my mind since that thread from 2008. Having watched a family member slowly die of ALS was so painful. During that time, the discussion came up about "putting him out of his misery" and I was opposed to it.
After reading the thread from 2008 I began to wonder. That's all I am doing by asking these questions. I am wondering out loud...and not trying to be annoying my bringing up frivolous "what ifs".
Thank you.