22nd March 2004, 10:27 PM
I agree. Suicide is a LITERAL giving up on life. It's the worst thing a person can do to themselves. Legallity? Honestly, when someone kills themselves, whether it's legal or not really isn't something they care about. It's not like being arrested could possibly be considered a threat. The worst thing that could happen is being arrested for the ATTEMPT of suicide.
Generally, I agree that while it's the worst thing that a person could do. I disagree with suicide for the same reasons I disagree with murder, there are exceptions. Generally, it's only something someone does to themself, so the law doesn't really have to say it's illegal or anything there. However, sometimes it affects others. If the person killing themselves is a single parent, then I consider suicide paramount to abandonment. In other words, if someone is going to commit suicide, it's only legal if they are not the sole caregiver to ANY life form. How's that?
However, in the cases where they aren't taking care of another life form, while legal, I think that anyone who would offer to help in that endevor should be considered a criminal. Those persons are commiting murder, no matter how they suger coat it. If someone wants to kill themself, they need to do it themselves. Here's the thing. Doctors have been found on more than one occasion to choose not to give certain people with extreme disabilities and poor health medication they need to continue living because the doctors have decided on their own that the patient's life is nothing but suffering and they are doing them a favor. Now, hearing that I would hate to have a doctor that would do that to me wouldn't affect you, because you don't care about my opinion until I'm in their situation. However, more than a few people who are in those conditions, those who found out about what the doctor was doing, immediatly found new doctors and consider their lives to still be worth living, very much so. These people still have their minds.
Now, basically what I'm saying is this regarding assisted suicide where the patient actually goes to a "doctor" for help. A real doctor would try to give them a reason to go on. Even when the body has reached it's limit, there are ways. We have the technology to continue communication with these people. They can still contribute and be useful. In a coma? You may not be aware of this, but people can and do wake up from comas. Let the person decide for themselves after they wake up if the culture shock is too much. Also, a doctor will say things in more absolute terms than they actually think. Doctors don't lie, or are very egotistical, but they are taught to give an air of absolute certainty about things when they are mostly certain. A doctor will say to someone, to prevent them getting their hopes up, that a person will never wake up again. However, the doctor will still know there is a chance, just one they don't want to feed to someone in that situation. Honeslty I disagree with that method myself. However, my point is that a person may decide to end someone's life without full knowledge that they can never wake up.
If someone's brain is dead, then that's different. They are already dead. Nothing can revive them because that is death itself. One isn't really killing something that is already dead when they unhook the rest of the equipment. Just make sure the brain really is dead.
Now, regarding assisted suicide, I'm fully aware that my view is controversial. Regarding suicide alone, I believe it's absolutely wrong to do it, but it's not something that needs to be made illegal. The law won't prevent such things. Counselling will. This has one exception. Tell me now, do you not agree that to commit suicide when you are the sole caregiver of a life form such as kids or even a pet is exactly the same, EXACTLY the same, as throwing them outside and abandoning them?
Generally, I agree that while it's the worst thing that a person could do. I disagree with suicide for the same reasons I disagree with murder, there are exceptions. Generally, it's only something someone does to themself, so the law doesn't really have to say it's illegal or anything there. However, sometimes it affects others. If the person killing themselves is a single parent, then I consider suicide paramount to abandonment. In other words, if someone is going to commit suicide, it's only legal if they are not the sole caregiver to ANY life form. How's that?
However, in the cases where they aren't taking care of another life form, while legal, I think that anyone who would offer to help in that endevor should be considered a criminal. Those persons are commiting murder, no matter how they suger coat it. If someone wants to kill themself, they need to do it themselves. Here's the thing. Doctors have been found on more than one occasion to choose not to give certain people with extreme disabilities and poor health medication they need to continue living because the doctors have decided on their own that the patient's life is nothing but suffering and they are doing them a favor. Now, hearing that I would hate to have a doctor that would do that to me wouldn't affect you, because you don't care about my opinion until I'm in their situation. However, more than a few people who are in those conditions, those who found out about what the doctor was doing, immediatly found new doctors and consider their lives to still be worth living, very much so. These people still have their minds.
Now, basically what I'm saying is this regarding assisted suicide where the patient actually goes to a "doctor" for help. A real doctor would try to give them a reason to go on. Even when the body has reached it's limit, there are ways. We have the technology to continue communication with these people. They can still contribute and be useful. In a coma? You may not be aware of this, but people can and do wake up from comas. Let the person decide for themselves after they wake up if the culture shock is too much. Also, a doctor will say things in more absolute terms than they actually think. Doctors don't lie, or are very egotistical, but they are taught to give an air of absolute certainty about things when they are mostly certain. A doctor will say to someone, to prevent them getting their hopes up, that a person will never wake up again. However, the doctor will still know there is a chance, just one they don't want to feed to someone in that situation. Honeslty I disagree with that method myself. However, my point is that a person may decide to end someone's life without full knowledge that they can never wake up.
If someone's brain is dead, then that's different. They are already dead. Nothing can revive them because that is death itself. One isn't really killing something that is already dead when they unhook the rest of the equipment. Just make sure the brain really is dead.
Now, regarding assisted suicide, I'm fully aware that my view is controversial. Regarding suicide alone, I believe it's absolutely wrong to do it, but it's not something that needs to be made illegal. The law won't prevent such things. Counselling will. This has one exception. Tell me now, do you not agree that to commit suicide when you are the sole caregiver of a life form such as kids or even a pet is exactly the same, EXACTLY the same, as throwing them outside and abandoning them?
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)