Should suicide be legal?
Yes
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No
Side Score: 70
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Face it, there is almost no way to stop a person from committing suicide - if the person is really committed! What gives us the right to tell a person, what to do with their live? (I'm talking about a sane and mature person here) If we had suicide facilities, paired with counseling, I doubt that suicide rates would go up. Side: Yes
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This is a weak arguement because your are supposing that the person is wanting to be committed to killing himself. There are other ways than legalizing suicide to help a person recover to a healthy life. As problem solvers for suicidal people we should be looking at equipping counselors with job forms and relocation plans for people who can not think of continuing their lives since most suicidal people just need a new chance. Side: No
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I think suicide being illegal is an exercise in futility. If a person is truly committed to suicide there is no way you can stop them short of straight jackets and gags. This life is mine. I will control what my body consumes and the way I treat it. If I choose that it is time to leave this world it will be my right and choice to do so. Opinions and laws do not extend to the point where you can dictate and regulate what others choose to do with their existence or body . As caring human beings we don't want others to feel their life is in need of ending, and we absolutely should try our best to show others their perceived worth and value to us, but we should not try to forcefully extend our own fears of death onto others. I'll completely agree that people shouldn't commit suicide and I would definitely try to stop a friend from attempting it, but I think the spirit of the law is to protect you from others, not yourself. I know this can be contradicted by the current wave of forced psychiatric evaluation and by those who think in the current thought crime mentality, but I really believe that the area of suicide, due to it's moral ambiguity, is something best kept away from laws that would punish you for failing to do it right the first time. Side: Yes
It's funny, that if you think life is bad and attempt to kill yourself, we do nothing more to help than keep you alive in a way that you hate even more than the way you were while attempting... I think assisted suicide would be great... but at the same time, how do you know that the person you're about to help by killing them wouldn't win the lotto the next day and be able to afford a better life via medication and a lifestyle change... I don't know, life is pretty fucked up. Side: Yes
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Mental illness is subjective to whomever is evaluating someone's mental illness. Homosexuality used to be considered a mental illness. Women being unhappy as housewives was considered a mental illness. Times change, and so does medicine. Psychiatric medicine is not an absolute, and never has been. Every one is unique. If someone want to end their life, it's their choice. It's their right. I'm not saying that I agree with suicide. I have been very depressed before, and I have had really bad experiences that I thought were never going to go away, but I can never see myself killing myself. I think that it's wrong, it's a weak thing to do, and it hurts those who love you. But, it's not my place, or the law's place to force someone to live. This is a free country, a free society. People have the right to harm themselves, to mess up their lives, and to be terrible to other people (granted that they aren't harming them physically or in other illegal ways.) So why should people also be barred from killing themselves? I think that there should always be help available, but just like with drug rehab, and debt counseling, and friends and family, people have the right to refuse help. I don't agree with it, I would never do it, and I would try to prevent friends or family from doing it, but as for a law prohibiting it, I am not supportive. People have the right to life and liberty, which also means that they have the right to do with those things what they choose. Side: Yes
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This isn't about assisted suicide, it's about the legality of killing yourself. You can know suicide is "illegal" before you kill yourself, but the part of the law that keeps you in accordance with the law is the sure punishment that you'll receive if you break the law. Once you've killed yourself or, once you've broken the law, you cannot be punished by the law... so why is there a law at all??? Side: yes
Well what would you care? Still, if you're going to kill yourself, does it matter who your shit goes to??? No, it's a personal problem. You cannot tell someone that they legally cannot kill themselves because of their inheritance, what difference would that do other than show the person that is going to kill themselves that you care more about their possessions than their life... and you cannot tell them that they legally can't kill themselves for any other reason, you know? Side: Yes
It does matter. If you do commit suicide and fail, you may be fined or imprisoned. And while this is not intrinsic, many suicide cases require close medical attention and help; the survivor of a suicide needs support, not imprisonment. Personally, the only thing which kept me from commuting suicide (at a certain point in my life) was the extreme fear of surviving it, and while this is because of an array of reasons, one of these reasons is the very shame of being punished by law and dragging a criminal record thereof. Side: Yes
There is not question Suicide should be legal. All that needs to be conceded is that everyone owns them self. By that I mean that I own myself, no one has a higher claim to me, mind and body, but me. I am not anyone's property. If we can agree that we all own ourselves absolutely then there is no question about suicides legality. To claim that you, or anyone, has the right to tell me I cannot commit suicide is the same as saying you OWN ME. You assume to have a higher claim to my own body and mind than I do, that you have the right to judge my state and worth and decide what is to be done with me. Myself, I would call that slavery. You do not own me, I do. There is nothing wrong with assisted suicide either. Why would it be OK for me to kill myself, possibly painfully due to a sloppy death, but then if I were to go to a medical facility where I could have a painless death suddenly becomes immoral? The logic does not follow. Some people say that assisted suicide could lead to murder convicts getting off the hook, but this is not an argument against assisted suicide. It is an argument from effect that has no bearing on the actual morality of committing suicide. I should not be restricted from killing myself, or letting someone kill me, because some malicious person might kill others. You are letting a bad person's bad actions control me, an uninvolved person. With laws preventing assisted suicide you would empowering the murderers to cause even more pain and suffering. Side: Yes
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You are assuming by saying you are your own that their is no other beings or higher powers in this world or in the solar system. Basically, this earth is all that there is to life and once you die you go in the ground and become dirt. That is a very big stretch to make considering their are millions of supernatural things that happen in a regular year. For example, miraculous healing. I have seen plenty of people healed from prayers. So to say that you are your own and you were not created, takes as much faith as for me to say you were created, only their is more people who believe that they evolved and were not created. Side: No
Assuming? Perhaps, I also assume there is no Zeus or Athena. Why? There is not proof. When I say proof I mean verifiable and scientific, not "some guy I know saw XYZ". Millions of supernatural things? No... Just many things we don't YET understand, that doesn't mean they are beyond comprehension. Not so long ago we didn't completely understand the physics of how bees flew. Yes we understood they had wings and all, but not the complexities of it. Theologians said "it is god that makes them fly!" and yet with more advanced science we have discovered that it is NOT god that makes bees fly, and that bees flight is well within the realm of natural law. You may laugh at someone saying bees fly by the will of god, but it is the same principle whenever anyone says something is done by god. "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." -Arthur C. Clarke If there is an omnipotent being that owns my life, then it should be able to stop me killing myself. If it can, and chooses not to, then why does it matter? If it wants to, and cannot, then is it really omnipotent? PS:I meant to press oppose, woops. Side: Yes
Even then, it's not illegal. The fact that suicide is illegal is a myth. Side: Yes
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Bradf0rd brought up a good point. Most people like to act righteous and want to stop people from killing them self, but they don't want to actually HELP the person. They will just do enough to stop the person from killing them self, to claim they save life or perhaps to feel moral, but do nothing to actually improve that suicidal person's life. You continue their hell. People often want to make things they find distasteful illegal. They want to government to do their dirty work. If you care about the problem, fix it yourself. Don't have the government do it with other peoples' money. Those who believe suicide should be illegal, I want you find someone who wishes to commit suicide, and stop them. Physically stop them from killing them self. Don't help them, don't try to convince them to live, just stop them from killing them self and keep them alive. Nothing more. I wonder, would they thank you? The same thing will happen if you have government handle this. The government is cold and impersonal. It does not care about the suicidal people, it cares about the taxpayer dollars. The government would be ineffective. We don't need government to solve this problem, we need caring people to solve this problem. Side: Yes
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Suicide is not illegal, and it probably will never be, by the nature of the law system (apparently you cant arrest the dead, who knew?). However, assisted suicide should only be legal under extreme circumstances, (Terminal illness, or Chronic pain that is not expected to end, etc.) Only when there is no alternative. Side: Yes
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The law enforcement community for the most part view someone attempting suicide as unstable. They believe that no person would commit suicide that was of sound mind. Its insane to believe that an individual is not intelligent enough to decide that they are ready to die, or to help them do it in the most effiecient and painless manner possible. Side: Yes
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it is illegal and furthermore physicians do have the right to control other peoples' lives cause they can give you a lethal injection or pull you're life supporting system. if we just let them die. everybody would be dying because of a midterm that they know they won't pass or if they were emotionally hurt by a loved one. Side: No
Sucide should be legal cause they have no way of helpign the people. This stuff about medication is barbaric. Usally its a bunch of j--- that want to do it cause thats all they know THey dont help people all they do is interfere. If you dont like suicide then go talk about it with your dr. However I have heard the reason we dont like suicde is we dont wnat to goto the funeral. WHy should you have someone living in pain and torure cuase you dont want to goto a funeral. Preventing sucide and force commitment is no better then what Stalin did Side: yes
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The question is not, 'IS suicide legal", the question is: SHOULD it be legal or not... You can get fined for attempting and failing, yes, you get thrown in jail, however, the question is SHOULD is be legal, and everyone on here fails to answer that question. I think it should be legal BECAUSE this is a free country so why don't we have the freedom of choice to choose life or death? Would you want to sit and watch ur loved ones suffer every damn day knowing they'd be happier if they werent here? Set them free.. don't make someone suffer... Animals get put to sleep all the time because they're suffering, so why should we live through it too? NO, im not emo, and I like living, but I still stick with what I said... Side: yes
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most definitely it should be! these are our own bodies! we should be entitled to have some sort of control over how or when we die. WHo else owns us? Although, I have lost six close friends to suicide, and the pain I went through was excruciating. But after my grief had passed, years later I come to realize that these people were perfectly controlled and sure of their decision. Their pain was gone and they could finally be at peace. And that is how i see it today. I don't really like the idea of getting a friend or family member assisting you, as this could seriously question their motives or judgement. But really, if one is in that much pain that they could not bear life for one more day, then they should be entitled to their own form of death. Side: yes
You would think that suicide is a bad thing, that a person has got so depressed or wronged that they hate life, what about people with cancer? if they should choose so they should have the choice to end there suffering, in general suicide is a is a way out of the pain, yes at times people don't think it through 1st which is why governments across the world should have legal suicide methods to prevent failing in suicide such as hanging your self if you don't do it right instead of breaking your neck it chokes you to death not something people have in mind when they want to die, it should be a painless quick death, to me i think suicide is a choice of the person who wants to die and if the law says thats wrong then we are being controlled by the law to the extent that we cant even do what we want with our lives which is wrong. Side: yes
The problem with allowing euthanasia is opening up a valid defense to people who commit murder or, for example, kill an old senile relative (without their permission) to attain inheritence. It's dodgy ground, and I can understand why, in general, it remains illegal. If however it could be correctly implemented (witnesses, the final act carried out by a doctor, etc) than it should be legal for those who request it and are found to be in a fit mental state to make the decision. Side: No
I think it is an issue that should be regulated. I'm in no way suggesting that I think that suicide or euthanasia are light and solely personal issues. There should be terms and conditions such as it has to be done by a board certified physician, a psychiatric evaluation should be required for those without a terminal disease, and there should be at least one witness present. Side: No
I totally agree, euthanasia should be legal and regulated for precisely the reason that xaeon outlined. So long as the dodgy ground can be mitigated, I cannot see another reason why society should impose additional pain and misery upon a rational human being whom is experiencing it. Side: No
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I just did a little research for a paper I'm writing on this topic. This applies mainly to the United States, although it seems to be very similar in other countries. There are no FEDERAL laws banning or prohibiting suicide and never have been. There HAVE been State laws banning suicide, although state courts have always been reluctant to try to enforce these laws (for obvious, somewhat humorous reasons). Some states have listed suicide as a felony or crime without any listed punishments.
Over the last 10 to 20 years, all states have either removed their ban on suicide or have had said ban declared unconstitutional or otherwise illegal by the supreme court. However, if a medical professional or otherwise qualified person either deems you to be a danger to yourself or others or even simply fears that you MAY be, they CAN legally confine you against your will. (5150, Involuntary Psychiatric Hold) So if you do try to commit suicide and fail, most likely you are going to be found to be a danger to yourself (real shocker right there), and confined under code 5150. Therefore making attempted suicide (aka failed suicide) 'punishable' by law. Suicide CANNOT be punished by property forfeiture or ignominious burial. However, suicide is still considered a 'common law crime,' (i.e. most of society doesn't like it :P) as such, many insurance policies have clauses pertaining to suicide, usually resulting in forfeiture of the coverage. (your family wont get paid if you off yourself.) There are options to have suicide covered, in most cases, usually raising your premium. Side: yes
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since humans existence there has always being this belief that we should keep each other alive. but then again life comes with challenges that not many can overcome therefor it should be legal and socially accepted to commit suicide if the person is legally old enough to decide over their lives, not necessarily a person has to be mentally ill to have this mind set, sum times people are not thought endurance and if we all gonna face death as certain point why is so bad to choose yourself when to do so. Side: yes
Yes our life is property of ourselves. no-one else can make a claim to the property of our own life NO MATTER THE MORAL OBLIGATION! Wives and husbands say things like "You belong to me and me only" because they have the extended time spent with that person and they justify the idea that they own someone else as their own property because of the time effort and emotion invested in the relationship where in the eyes of the LAW that doesn't apply. REGARDLESS of how your peers family members friends associates etc. feel towards you and say things like they own part of you because they love you etc. They cannot own what is not their property. Someone else may not call your computer their computer because it is your property YOU OWN IT! ITS THAT SIMPLE! Now people argue that it is selfish, immoral, ignorant, and cowardly. These are all SOCIAL AND MORAL STATEMENTS! NONE OF THESE prove that anyone owns any actual part of you and there is no need for you to owe it to them to live forcibly if you wish not to. Your life is your property and no-one else's regardless of any moral obligations you may or may not feel they may cause or prevent you form a actually committing suicide the bottom line is that in our society we have the right to destroy or end anything that is ours why not take away our own lives as well if people wish to end their lives then let them it's thier decision NOT YOURS! Side: yes
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I answered yes to the question, but to be honest, that question makes no sense whatsoever. If the question were "Should assisted suicide be legal?" then I would understand the reasons to talk about it. But asking if suicide should be legal is pointless. What are you going to do to those who commit suicide? Put their dead body in jail? Seriously?!? Side: Yes
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Well I believe that every death is suicide.Learned by Abraham Hicks he will explain the meaning of life.The meaning of life is joy and a person chooses to live on the earth and they will choose when their time is to die.Life cannot live without death and death cannot die without life.It is good that you die than you will bring new life.New life is you.You live and you die, yet you die and you live.This means that when you die you will live again and when you live you will always face death.Suicide is just a different meaning of death,but everyone has to face it sometime and it does not matter what,but every death equals suicide.you choose your death.Your inner being chooses your death,but your physical being does not know when your life dies.When the time is right you will soon know.P.S. If you want to learn more just visit Abraham Hicks to find out the meaning of life and how to control your life.He will make your life better and make it positive rather than negative.Live your life the way you want to live.Treat others how you wish to be treated.What you think the most it will occur.Oh and just a fact those of you who believe in the devil,he does not exist.Thank you and have a wonderful day.One more thing,Death does not exist Side: Yes
I can't see how it can be illegal. Once you kill yourself you can no longer be prosecuted for killing yourself. Unless they are going to haul your stinking behind into the court room with your suicide note and sentence a corpse to pay a debt o society when society is probably the main reason why the person killed themselves in the first place. (Not always buy most often) Side: Yes
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Yes of course it should , it is your life and no ones business on when and why you want to end it . Do you attempt to stop people drinking , drugging or smoking themselves to death slowly ? Why interfere with someone who sees suicide as a viable option to their life situation ? For some people life is intolerable why prolong misery ? Side: Yes
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Suicide should be illegal because by definition suicide is an act of mental illness. A person who wants to commit suicide is always under pressure that negates their ability to make reasoned informed choices. This argument precludes DNR's as they have been created before a debilitating illness has eroded a persons ability to make choices. Side: No
An act of mental illness? Think about that for a second... FTA "Mental disorder or mental illness are terms used to refer to a psychological or physiological pattern..." Read pattern Side: Yes
I cannot agree with this at all. Seriously, although suicide may be caused by a mental disability, you can't justify in saying that it is illegal. Many people live with mental disabilities. It is not illegal to suffer from them. I will say that suicide is not how a person should end their life, but i will say that it is their decision. You cannot force someone to follow your beliefs. It is their own choice how to lead their lives. Side: No
Every human being must be allowed to live according to their own convictions. It is not up to any other human to decide the fate of another. Mental illness is a man made school of thought, and is no solid argument against a man's free will. Another person has no real intelligence to decide if a person is "in his/her right mind." I am a biochemist and the field of Psychology is an arrogant field with little solid science to support any of it's claims. To claim that one can "know the mind of another" is impossible. Psychology is the inquisition of our time, and though most are too ignorant to admit it, it offers no real science of proof. Every person belongs to himself. No one has any right to choose anything for another human being. Not ever. To think such a thing is pure arrogance, pure stupidity. Each man must choose for himself. To choose for another only proves the fool of the chooser. Psychology is the fool here. Each man belongs to himself, point blank. There is no such thing as "not in his right mind." That is a fallacy. Each man can choose for himself. To think you have the right to choose for another is pure narcissism and psychology is the field ruled by narcissists. Side: Yes
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How can suicide be illegal? How are you going to stop suicide from happening? "A person who wants to commit suicide is always under pressure" They are in more pain then they can take. They might be under pressure but there desperate. They need something to make them feel better. To get out of the life. HOW DO YOU ILLEGALIZE SUICIDE? Side: yes
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I have 4 mental illnesses all causing me to do different things and one of those things has been contemplating suicide, but just because my mental illness made me does not make it illegal. If it did hallucinating would also be illegal because in my case it is caused by a mental illness Side: yes
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Bullshit, the samurai would commit suicide with sepukku which is a ritualistic suicide that they would do for honor. the kamakazi killed themselves for honor as well, suicide bombers kill in the name of their god (as far as Al'Quaeda goes) im not saying some of them aren't being pushed to do it, are emotional wrecks but come on and face it, if someone is terminally ill, or their life is truly terrible and not worth living they should have the right to end it. but i think they should be assisted as to do it painlessly and have to wait a 2-3 month time period before they are allowed to do so, and have counseling during that time period but if they really truly dont want to live its a persons right NOT to live. Side: Yes
It takes a few seconds to kill oneself. While such act is not always done rationally, a big trauma in someone's life can lead to a quick decision out of a moment of sorrow and despair. If you generalize it saying that by definition suicide is an act of mental illness, then you are a very close-minded person. Life is not all black and white. Side: Yes
I could not disagree more. The act of committing suicide is not always an act of mental illness. While this choice is often linked to psychological disorders and chemical imbalances in the brain, depression etc, suicide is not always dictated by such disorders; to start with you're completely ignoring the patients with degenerative diseases which induces unimaginable, daily suffering and rapid decay, from which they cannot escape. These patients do not necessarily suffer from mental illnesses, but often decide to take their own life because of the extreme pain they are under, the strain of their illnesses on themselves and loved ones, the wish to die in dignity with one’s full mental/physical faculties, etc. The reasons are many. However, even while ignoring this side of the discussion, I reaffirm that suicide is not intrinsically linked to mental illness, and in fact should not be directly associated to despair and pain. In my case, for example, the act of committing suicide would result from my atheistic Nihilistic Existentialist beliefs; I may very likely decide to take my own life at a point of extreme and unequaled happiness, so that this happiness will never be topped nor diminished by negative experiences thereafter, and I will die being extremely happy. Or I may decide to take my life at a point in my career or relationship where I can no longer find personal fulfillment or enjoyment. Or just as in the case of my father’s life plan, I could decide to commit suicide before becoming completely dependent on a nurse and losing a dignity and independence which is primordial to me. I hope by now you’ve noticed that none of these -very real and personal- scenarios have anything to do with mental illness. And I dare you to think these scenarios are untrue, I challenge you to tell yourself this, because I know part of you will still ponder their truth’s implications. So no, The act of committing suicide is not always an act of mental illness. It’s not a “tragedy”, it’s a personal choice. Side: No
Well first of all i don't reckon any laws that make suicide illegal. I haven't heard of any person that was sent to jail after commiting suicide. And if we're talking about suicide facilities, euthanasia and stuff - that's not a suicide - that's a homicide. A murder. Suicide - when someone kills himself. That's sad, but well it happens. And when someone 'helps' another person to commit suicide - he or she kills that person. What is more this murder is intended. And that should not ever be legal. Side: No
What makes it immoral for a person to aid someone who want to die in killing themselves? A lot of people who want to die are in such physical pain that they cannot kill themselves. Do you really think you are doing the moral thing by forcing them to continue to endure the suffering? You would do well to remember that avoiding death is not the same as achieving life. Some people have lived happy and fulfilling lives and do not want to end a good life in pain. Side: Yes
You know what. Some time ago i fell off a cliff. I got three ribs an arm a leg and my spine broken. It was painful. Oh no it was not painful it hurt like hell. And all my lower half was paralyzed. You know while i was in the hospital - i was desperate. I was in constant pain, the doctors said that they can not guarantee that i will ever walk again. I spent almost a year in hospitals and reabilitation centers, i was slowly regaining my ability to walk. Step by step. And it hurts even more when you are trying to get your legs to work again. I thought about suicide hundreds of times. Because i was inadequate. Pain is worse than any drug i ever tried. It rips your world inside out. If some doctor came to me and said - come on i make you an injection - and you die peacefully - i'd have said yes. And i would be long dead by now. But i had to fight for my life. I had to endure the pain. I had to learn how to walk again. And i am feeling good now. I can walk again. I can even run. Hell i am cliffhanging again. Well the bones ache sometimes when the weather changes - but that's nothing compared to the pain that was before. It's the same situation with drugs as with suicide. The person wants to do drugs - he has to find some dealer, he is afraid of police, he has to drive to some bad block and stuff. - He decides ah to hell with drugs, i'll go get some booze and a chick. And if a person has a possibility of entering a shop and buying drugs legally - he'll gladly do them. The same with suicide. It is scary as hell to kill yourself. That last step out of the window is really hard to make. All your instincts cry 'stop don't do it'. And there's a huge gap between a thought "i dont want to live, i'm in pain, i'm desperate" and killing yourself. But if you have an opportunity to ask someone to make an injection - that will be a lot easier to do. Side: No
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i have several friends that thought of killing there selves,some committed it but survive and some i heard just die...er... most of the survivor,said after days they had passed that dark obstacle of ther lives ,realizes how pretty life is,they realize they scared ther love ones,and gave them trauma,contrary to what they had though when they wer actually doing the 'suicide'...i ask what gave them the urge to do it... most are in a dark hole,deep frustrations heartbreaks any other madness,sadness kind of feeling. if suicide would be legal,its like the 'time of realizing and moving on' end up to 1 shot of cyanide,'the seeing of true beauty of life moment'could end in 1 gun shot on your throat... how ever medically assistd suicide(euthanasia) could be accepted somehow,depends on the family of the patients that want to end the suffering of ther love ones(isnt it a form of a murder)...like if the person is too old already and terminally ill or in comma for a long time...but i heard news that a patient had been comma for years suddenly had conscious the day her husband decided to release her life support... so just imagine how her husband guilt about what he had decided... Side: No
First of all, when something is illegal it means that you'll get punished if you do so, but i don't see how someone can be punished if he's alredy dead. Anyway, although this topic is not really a debatable one, i shall give it a more suitable definition. When we are talking about making suicide legal, it means that no action against the family of the dead will be taken, and there will be no investigation. So, as for the laws, suicide SHOULD be considered to be a crime, simply because a lot of murders seem to be suicide at the beginning and if noone investigates the case then how can we know whether it was a crime or not? So, basically for this practical issue, we shouldn't "legalize" suicide, because we can't easily distinguish when a suicide is really a suicide. Side: No
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I feel suicide is much like abortion, it is our body and our life to take, why does anyone have the right to force someone to live. If I want an abortion I can have as many as I want, if however life is painful and I want out, there are the high and mighty who insist someone live with the pain, who in the hell wants to be medicated just to live each day. I say if someone wants to end their life, they should be allowed to do so and instructed on the method with the best success. Side: No
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Besides elderly people who are in real pain, I say no. Normally laws restrict liberty so you want as few laws as possible, however liberty is only appreciated through life, so it is in fact a liberty restoring act to save someones life. We also want to minimize suffering. Therefore, suicide (if legal) should be regulated at hospitals or other place where a medical and psychological evaluation can be done. Suicide at any other place would be prohibited. Side: No
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