In places such as The Netherlands & the US west coast, assistance in suicide has become a choice actually available to persons with AIDS. Hence, it is important to consider the rational structure of choices about suicide in AIDS. There are 4 levels of choice: 1) the question of active control over dying; 2) the question of holding out for a cure; 3) the choice of going early or going late; & 4) the question of what weight to give to the interests of others. (4 refs.)