It should be up to the individual and/or immediate family.....state-sactioned lifespans?!? No!

Depends on whether one is talking about lifespan or "healthspan". Extending a quality life is great. Extending life without regard to that usually does not end well.

A family acquaintance, age 80, went to the hospital last week with a persistent urinary infection, turned out to have sepsis, and while treating that, congestive heart failure was discovered. Open heart surgery was scheduled to replace a couple of valves and do a triple bypass. Mercifully she died over the weekend. She had a good life, and ending it with that sort of uphill battle and massive chest wall pain to manage, does not strike me as a better way to go.

It should be entirely up to the individual who is ill & aged. They are the only ones who can judge their own quality of life.

When the time comes, I want this to be up to me and no one else. That's where I stand.

As I'm ill and aged, I'm in favor of it.

If the elderly and ill desire to continue their lives, I believe we must do all we reasonably can to honor their wishes.