Sol made a judgement of what "would have been considered barbaric years ago"...

20 years ago I had dozens of nursing friends. Those that worked in nursing homes frequently were given orders to withdraw food and water from patients who had lost consciousness along with the swallow reflex. Along with family approval it was the doctor's call to give the order.

The nurses who snuck a damp cloth into the room and squeezed a few drops of water into the mouths of the condemned were reprimanded.

The process of death is a difficult albeit natural act for most people to contend with. The "rabbi" included.