A nurse, struggling with the morality of physician-assisted suicide, writes that her personal physician says he favours palliative sedation. She asks what this practice is. The author of this column defines palliative sedation as heavily sedating a dying person when attempts to control their pain have failed. Palliative sedation was sanctioned in 1997 as an alternative to physician-assisted suicide by the American Supreme Court. The author disagrees with palliative sedation, especially the guideline which calls for an initial trial of respite sedation. She states that, in her opinion, assisted suicide is preferable to palliative sedation.