Ive been reading a news story about a woman who committed suicide by jumping into a pool when crocodiles were being fed. It had me thinking . . . Should it even matter whether suicide is legal or not? How would you know someone intends to commit suicide so you can stop them before they do? Since people "exercise" this right from time to time, should those who have terminal illnesses be denied this right? Why are many countries so unwilling to legalize assisted suicide?
If a person is going to end their lives they are going to do it without people knowing because they don't want somebody to stop them. Once they have decided that it is their only option then their would be no changing their minds. As far as assisted suicide goes, I guess, I would have to be in the situation to know how I truly feel about it. It is one thing to say I would assist but another thing to actually do it. My partner and I have had this discussion in the past and he told me that if he ever was at that point where there was no hope that he would want me to assist him in ending his life. I told him as much as I know that is his final wishes I really don't think I could do it. I couldn't let him go that way. I would be holding on to whatever I had, not wanting to let him go. If that is his wishes then he would have to get somebody else to do it. It is the person's life and I believe that they have the right to choose to end it if they have a terminal illness and don't want to go through the suffering of it. I just don't want to be the one who does it for them.
I think in Belgium you are allowed by law to commit suicide if assisted by another person, so it's possible. After all, it's our life and we should decide what to do with it. If governments aren't competent to give us at least the basic stuff, which is the case for many suicides, then why take us the right of putting an end to our misery?
As morbid as it sounds, I don't think it makes a difference whether it is legal or not - if somebody feels deeply enough to make the decision to end their own lives, legal repercussions won't stop them. I do think, however, it would be "better" if they could do so in a controlled environment - reducing the number of public suicides, or reducing the risk of traumatizing somebody by finding their body. I say "better" since it's definitely not ideal, but it could prove beneficial in some cases to allow people control over these kinds of things. I think it's a tough issue to legalize, because it's a very polarized issue.. it's also dealing strictly with life and death. In the case of those who are terminally or mentally ill, I can understand - but what about this with no history of mental illness? should they be afforded the same right to commit assisted suicide? Should they be required to go through counseling or seek psychiatric help first?
I agree with you. Allowing people to commit suicide in designated places where the act will not traumatize those who discover the bodies will be much better. In fact it will even make it easier to solve the "suicide problem" because when someone expresses an interest in ending their lives their families, friends or other experts could give them whatever help [be it advice, counseling, etc] they need something that would probably convince them to change their minds.
This is a hard one, but ultimately we are responsible for our lives. Assisting someone to do it? That is even more complicated, but if we saw a son for example suffering day after day, would we be capable to say no?
I think this can be a bit of a delicate issue for a lot of people. Often some suicide attempts are widely thought of as cries for help, when people feel they have nowhere else to turn, they'll attempt suicide, not with the intention of ending their lives though, it's more of a way of making people notice them and help them. While I wouldn't say that I think commuting suicide should be legal, at the end of the day you have to be responsible for your own life, so is it up to other people to day if you can end it or not?
I'm all for assisted suicide providing that there is a good reason for it, such as a terminal illness etc. What's the point of being alive if you can't move, eat etc? Long ago these people would have died naturally far before they got into this stage, modern medicine can keep them alive but can't heal them. So if they feel constant pain and have no reason to live anymore, then why not let them end their own life? Seems only human to allow someone to end his own suffering if he chooses to do so.
I personally think that suicide it shouldn't be illegal, because we're individuals with all our troubles and concerns and we should have (and we do) the right to decide when we are going to end up our life... And I've also heard that euthanasia is a "legal" thing on some countries for people with terminal illnesses. Because, as another user said, what's the point of keep living if you can't fully enjoy your life? If you can't eat, run, hug, etc? If general suicide is not legal yet, I think that at least it should be legal for people with terminal illnesses, but is just my opinion.
I think a person had the right to live, and the right to say when they are ready tho throw in the towel. But there has to be a better way of doing it then to throw yourself into a pool of crocodiles. That's just horrible. There must be a humane way of doing it, like a lethal injection where we go to sleep and never wake up. Painless and peaceful.
