I not only think this should be clearly within our rights, I don't think those who choose it should be disgraced. We make death into such a taboo, a horrible thing.. but is it? I know it's strange to think about, but maybe death really is just as natural as life.. Just my opinion Tell me yours
"The only thing your guaranteed at birth is death. You have a right to that. The rest is earned." If someone decides they no longer want to live, I believe they should be able to have a safe and non threatening procedure provided by a physician. Whether or not we should force a waiting period for them to reconsider, or require them to partake in a family-friend intervention before the procedure can proceed is controversial.
you know when people say oh don't commit suicide its selfish to your friends and family.. isn't that selfish to that person then? Life is just a describing word for the time we are "alive" the way we are here now
I agree with you and Tonyizzle both. There is the concern that somebody may make the decision too quickly with not enough information. I have a couple close friends who were once at very bad points in their life where suicide was a real option for them. They both have told me that they're glad they did not go through with it and that there were barriers to prevent them from taking such a quick route. That being said - I realize there are ethical implications to intentionally creating a barrier to an individual who has made up their mind and continues to suffer throughout this time period. Suicidal individuals can sometimes have a radically altered perspective based on grief or loss that prevents them from reasonably seeing the opportunity in their life for happiness and a return of normalcy. That is where the tragic element and stigmatization of suicide comes in -- the lost potential of an individual. It would be complicated and messy to attempt to emplace some kind of intervention program, both logistically and ethically. I also hate to think that an otherwise full and happy life could be cut short by a decision made under a burdened outlook. Either way, I absolutely agree that the stigmatization is unnecessary, and that the option should be medically available to all.
You have every right to kill yourself and a million ways to do it, freely available. How people choose to look at it is not your right to decide; if you decided to kill yourself, you really decide that death is better than life - that doesn't mean everyone else should feel the same way. Everybody have different beliefs in what's right or wrong. Most people fear death, no matter if they belief your soul will live on or that it'll just disappear. The reason behind the fear is that death is unknown; no one knows exactly what's going to happen, only that there's no way back. It's a nature right to kill yourself, simply because you can. It's also a nature right to feel outrage when someone kills themselves. Suicide is considered a sin, a horrible crime. That is quite understandable; the people close to the person who's killed himself gets sad and their lives will never be the same. If someone close to you commits suicide, it's perfectly natural to be mad at this person for leaving you - happens all the time. You have every right to kill yourself, just don't expect people to condone it..
I think that Humans have made (for lack of a better word) a very large impact on the world. Suicide is a form of population control that is so desperately needed, because you A) have no idea how much impact even one individual has. B) can't expect people to live responsibly and to stop breeding like we have more than one world to over-populate.
None of us asked to be here. So how can you say you shouldn't be allowed to choose when you leave? It is entirely the individuals right to leave when he/she wants to. We are all going to die, but some want it sooner. Sense death is as natural as life, why would anyone even care?
suicide is not natural. How many racoons or polar bears do you see hanging themselves because life is too hard?
Yes it is. It is just another way of dying. Would you say being shot is natural? Yet we accept a soldiers death on the battlefield, for they have served honorably. But when one commits suicide we look upon it as an epic sin. The world is so caught up in what is natural, and what isn't that we cannot even come to accept death itself. Death is death, no matter how you dress it up.
I believe in purpose. No one asked to live, and most don't ask to die. It just happens. It's natural. Ending your life definitely is not natural seeing how you didn't create your own life. It's a selfish act, suicide. Selfish indeed. Yes. You happened to be there at that certain point in time. All the things you've done lead you to that point and that is when that soldiers time ends. How are we caught up with what is natural and what isnt? You seem to be the one whos caught up in it. So please explain.
Well it's an interesting question and difficult to determine. Suicide implies an intention of death. Many animals seemingly cause their own deaths, but their motives and intentions remain unknown and doubtful because of their neurological limitations of self-awareness. Most examples lack the biological framework humans have in order to anticipate themselves in a future state. There are a couple of exceptions though. I was made aware of this because one of my siblings is a primate researcher. Tarsiers have been documented to harm and kill themselves when under the stress of captivity. Chimpanzees have also been known to die via apocarteresis
So what you are saying is that death is not natural. Isn't that the definition of death? "Ending your life definitely." So then you would you agree dying on the battlefield is selfish, because you die before you die of natural causes? What are natural causes? We all die, people should have the right to death. Let them go in peace.
The entire world is a battle field, brother. People get shot down all around whether its for freedom or for not wanting to give up your purse. Shit happens. Taking risks does not equal suicide. That's what soldiers do, they take risks. I for one don't believe in ending anyones life, even if its your own. Death is natural, not sure why you're questioning me on that. Ending your own life isn't. Not like it matters. People still and will do it. Life was given to you as a gift, its rude to just throw it away.
"Some are so traumatised by captivity that they kill themselves by banging their heads against the cage" We still don't know its intention. We caused its death by putting them in there. They were frightened. Animals do stupid things all the time. But that brings me to another good question i think... Would it be "natural" if a mental patient who didn't really know better ended up commiting suicide? We could still argue with the "We don't know their intention" but i'm not too sure on this one.
You're correct that we still don't know it's intention, but the consequence is the same. Perhaps it could be said of individuals who commit suicide that they don't really seek death, but they seek to escape from their pain. We assume the intentions of those who commit suicide, we assume rational choice. The stress on the Tarsier causes it to behave in a seemingly unfit way that results in the end of it's life. Perhaps to the Tarsier, it sees death as an effective means of "escaping" captivity. Or perhaps it thinks nothing and possess no control over it's actions. How is a human any different at this fundamental level? Don't take that question the wrong way - I'm not supporting this outlook, but rather asking you to explain your perspective on it. Rewrite: "We still don't know their intention. Culture caused their death by putting them in that situation. They were frightened. Humans do stupid things all the time." EDIT: Ehh... I've never been big on the "natural/unnatural" dichotomy. I'm of the viewpoint that anything humans do is natural.
