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Serious ambivalence about this one. In theory, the only opposition I have to your argument is that I think [seemingly] temporary pain should not be listed as a reason NOT to commit suicide. In other words, in theory, I think anyone should be allowed to commit suicide, adult or child (one of the "better" suicides I've read about was probably this one: Brilliant pupil's 'logical' suicide - News - The Independent).
In practice, I have no idea what society would look like if some markedly increased segment of the population was committing suicide. Seems like a bit of a Tragedy of the Commons-like situation, where rational actors acting rationally would lead to collective suffering as an unintended consequence:
Because yes, I actually think it's more rational to at least consider killing oneself than it is to be without the thought entirely. One could then argue for rationally suppressing one's urge (which is basically what I do on a near-daily basis) being the superior option to actually going through with the act. But life is an obviously meaningless exercise in futility, and people who commit suicide or contemplate doing so have, whether by luck or by keen insight or some combination thereof, attained a greater understanding of their condition than those who live out the string without giving so much as a thought to the greatest philosophical question (in the estimation of Camus...and me, heh).
The prohibitions against suicide are part of the Culture of Slavery. Along the way, some clever (but evil) person, tired of losing slaves to suicide, had the clever idea of making up religious reasons why a person "cannot" take his own life. So, the concept of Hell was inflated into an eternity of unimaginable suffering, which made being worked to death in a mine seem nice, by comparison.
It was a way to get slaves to accept lives of toil and misery.
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Today, the prohibitions against suicide help medical corporations, during the last months of your life, make off with every last cent of your net worth, and every cent they can wring from your family and the government, on your 'behalf'.
In many cases,, it's because they are in prison, and it's too much fun for sadistic guards to brutalize them and watch other prisoners beat and rape each other. And the privately-owned prisons are getting thousands of dollars a day for their shareholders for each prisoner they take a belt away from.
I wonder how the anti-suicide crowd would feel if a homeless, STD-infected prostitute without family or friends decided she wanted to end her own life.
There is nothing "permanent" about this situation. Many people turn their lives around and become functioning members of socirity after being in this predicament.
That being said, I don't think suicide or assisted suicide should be illegal. While I may not like their decision, I should have no say over that person and their choices for themselves. And just like any choices they make, the reasons may not make sense to me, but they don't have to. They must only make sense to the person.
I've never seen such a big pro suicide group in my life. This is great.
I am 100% with you OP. Suicide should absolutely be a choice on the table and the way you present it make it much better then, as you say, I did bad on my test, kill myself. Even if they aren't terminally ill I still think people should be given the option.
Here is food for thought. I saw the same doc for 5 or so years, he told me a lot of people my age have thoughts of suicide. Wait.... a lot of people in their 20s have suicidal thoughts. Well that's messed up.
Yes, I would still see value in the life of the prostitute and try to find a way to help her with her issues. I see life as valuable without judging the person's "value" to others. My other thought is that committing suicide need not be assisted unless that person has doubts and needs the reassurance of someone else that what they are doing, suicide, is the right thing to do and some how, that is where it all goes wrong. I think the majority of suicides are due to mental health issues and the inability to see things clearly not those that are terminally ill. I can't get past preservation of life and the value of everyone so I won't see this like many others. I could not support assisted suicide which is stupid terminology anyway since suicide is a one person deal.
There are no invalid reasons for suicide. People shouldn't control others. I guess I personally find no value in life itself hence I feel that if someone didn't want to waste their time any further then why should they be stopped. It's not about who they affect as that is irrelevant. This is about them. Suicide is ultimately an individual decision to such a degree that trying to have a suicidal person suffer by staying alive is just as cruel. I also believe in assisted suicide. Punishing the disabled who can't do it alone by staying alive is pathetic.
There is nothing "permanent" about this situation. Many people turn their lives around and become functioning members of socirity after being in this predicament.
That being said, I don't think suicide or assisted suicide should be illegal. While I may not like their decision, I should have no say over that person and their choices for themselves. And just like any choices they make, the reasons may not make sense to me, but they don't have to. They must only make sense to the person.
AIDS has no cure. There could be a cure in the future but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting around for one.
Yes, I would still see value in the life of the prostitute and try to find a way to help her with her issues. I see life as valuable without judging the person's "value" to others. My other thought is that committing suicide need not be assisted unless that person has doubts and needs the reassurance of someone else that what they are doing, suicide, is the right thing to do and some how, that is where it all goes wrong. I think the majority of suicides are due to mental health issues and the inability to see things clearly not those that are terminally ill. I can't get past preservation of life and the value of everyone so I won't see this like many others. I could not support assisted suicide which is stupid terminology anyway since suicide is a one person deal.
Suicide needs to be assisted for several reasons:
DIY suicide methods are often slow, painful and ineffective. Many people fail in their suicide attempts and simply become disabled.
DIY suicide methods are often disrupted by people who find the body before it is dead (for example, a person swallows pills, another person discovered the person who swallows pills and calls 911 and the person who swallowed the pills gets their stomach pumped).
Some people are not physically capable of committing suicide.
Physician-assisted suicide allows a person to die peacefully and painlessly in a comforting environment. I believe euthanasia drugs are normally used.
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