Co-Sleeping and SIDS

One thing that has terrified me as a mother is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. There are precautions that can be taken, but ultimately there is no control over this terrible occurrence. I know I am not alone in this, but I would startle and run to my infant's side if he or she had been asleep too long (in my opinion). I have hovered over them to make sure they are breathing. I have been prepared to wake them and call 9-1-1 because I felt their breathing may slightly seem erratic. (It was probably just me in my sleep deprivation from hovering and worrying). Recently I have heard a lot of debate over the correlation between SIDS and co-sleeping. Tragically in my own town, twin boys recently suffocated while co-sleeping.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2096611/Twin-babies-died-mothers-bed-victims-tragic-accident.html
Next a mother in Texas, has lost two boys in separate incidents to suffocation while co-sleeping. http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/135775/mom_convicted_for_not_heeding

However, in many countries it is considered negligent to put babies to sleep in a room by themselves. Santrock (2009) mentions that Mayan mothers sleep with their infant until they have another child, at which time that child goes to sleep with a different family member and the newborn sleeps with its mother. In this culture it is considered bad parenting to not sleep with your infant (p. 133). Many cultures and people from countries around the world co-sleep. It has been stated that in Japan there is the lowest rate of infant mortality, lowest rate of SIDS related deaths, 70% of mothers breastfeed, and 60% co-sleep (McKenna, n.d.)

I guess I am torn on this. I believe that there are safe ways to co-sleep. There are now co-sleeping beds that attach to the parents bed for babies to stay close to mom, but far enough away to stay safe. My own children slept in a bassinet right next to my bed until they we too big to safely be in it any longer, which also is an option. It is a fine line between SIDS and suffocation when debating co-sleeping. Research is finding negative and positive correlations between breastfeeding, smoking, education, and co-sleeping now with SIDS related deaths (p. 133). Ultimately, I think there are smart ways to co-sleep with infants to reduce suffocation or SIDS, but the debate is starting to pick up steam and many people are starting to push for laws to punish parents whose children suffocate while co-sleeping. I am not sure about this and would love to hear feedback from my colleagues?

References:
McKenna J. J. (n.d.) Cosleeping around the world. The Natural Child Project. Retrieved May 8, 2012     from http://www.naturalchild.org/james_mckenna/cosleeping_world.html 

Santrock, J.W. (2009) Child development (12th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.