Do you believe its morally/lawfully acceptable to help someone commit suicide?

Question

I was thinking about this, and u must know that it is illegal in most countries to help someone die, like an elderly person.
Do you think it should be allowed if it is the person's wishes or do you think it is morally/lawfully wrong to take part in something like that? It's a pretty heavy, political and debatable question but i think it will have some interesting answers.

Answer 1

Assisted suicide should be available only to those suffering from terminal illnesses. There are certainly cases where one wishes he/she was dying rather than live through the agony, e.g. a deep-tissue burn victim.

Legally, the debate can be minimalized with the drafting of a standard protocol (Oregon's laws have been mentioned in another answer).

The morality of this will always be in question; some feel strongly that human life is only meant to be taken by natural means, while others prefer to determine their own fate. My opinion is that as long as the patient is of sound mind, then they ought to be able to choose how their death occurs, whether by prolonged suffering or by a quiet sleep.

The debate can go on and on as to who determines what illnesses are terminal, what kind of outlook determines who is eligible for assisted suicide (if a patient only has 6 months to live, are they eligible? what if the patient has 1-2 years to live, are they eligible?), how does the doctor determine the timeline (differing expert opinions on how long one has to live), and I'm sure someone will even question what I mean by "sound mind" in my opinion above.

Answer 2

Vinylover.Suicide i believe is one of the hardest things to deal with , before i start i want you to know that i have tryed to commit suicide myself , And had it not been for my children i would of done it , I now work as a volenteary listenening to people on the phone , , as they ring up with their problem , I have listened to 8 year olds , phoneing , and telling me that he is going to kill him self because he was been bulled at school . Suicide rates have been growing every year . as many as 75% of people in the country where I live do give us some warning especially their relatives and friends, that their are intending to carry it out. To me the idea that people talk about suicide do not do it ,I think is shown to be false. Lets face it Alcohol to me is a contributing factor in many cases of suicide. I know that in a crises of dispair which causes the suicide attemept can be negotiated,and things apparently do not again reach the same intensity. this is why it is essential that existence of a known and easily available suicide prevention centre is in every city or country around the world .. I was reading a book the other week on the morals and the lawfully to help someone to die , The authour of the book James Hillman said" that suicide is sometimes not an act of of dispear but an act of hope,. he goes on to say "that the impulse to death need not be concieved as a anti life movement , it may be a demand for an encounter with absolute reality. To me what this person is saying is for a fuller life through suicide is a good experience.'" As for your question is it acceptable to help someone commit suicide , Surely the answer has to be no. Why would you to help someone take their own life , ? This is a very good question to of asked , But let me ask you a question . Would you help an elderly person , take her own life ,???

Answer 3

Only in certain instances such as if they have something like the condition where the body shuts itself down and they are left unable to do anything at all even though there brain is working fine, i can understand why they would want some dignity at the end and morally i see nothing wrong with helping someone in a situation like this. But i would never assist somebody who just wanted to end it for the sake of it, i think people who commit suicide because 'they have nothing to live for' are selfish.

Answer 4

No, I do not think so. It is lawful, and even mandatory, to help people, but not help them to die. If one is in a medical context as a doctor or a nurse one can help in alleviating suffering. There are through technological innovation in the medical field increasingly vague and undefined borderlines between life and death. However, there has been now also much experience to deal with this area in a responsible and ethical way.
It seems to me that it is better to leave this unregulated than to make a law stating the right to euthanasia. like in The Netherlands. It is, however, good when medical ethical committees regularly check the practise and give feedback to the medical community and to the public. .

Answer 5

No, there are not any suited motives to devote suicide. God gave you existence. all of us are born and all of us will die. melancholy, drug and alcohol abuse are most of the motives of suicide in this u . s .. In those situations a man or woman's innovations is in an altered state. a classic man or woman needs to stay. this is born into all individuals to need to stay. those with terminal ailments should not be compelled to devote suicide to end their suffering. while discomfort gets to the element that suffering is insufferable, the tip may well be stored gentle. melancholy and intervention i.e. counseling and drugs can and does exchange lives on a daily basis. people who do no longer seek for help with melancholy are between the final public of individuals who devote suicide in this u . s . each and every twelve months. the holiday journeys are the worst time of the twelve months. in case you recognize somebody who's stricken by melancholy from the inability of a pal or companion, I recommend which you do some thing to intrude, or ask somebody else close to that man or woman to realize this.

Answer 6

Unless you're a doctor in Oregon, it's illegal all over the US. Morally wrong? I don't think so, especially if the person is terminally ill. I remember when my mother died of cancer. It took her a long and very painful time to die. If she and my father had opted for this, I would of course be saddened by her death, but I could have supported the decision.

Answer 7

Well, you have to think the question of why. Why someone needs someone else's help to commit suicide? Physically incapable, or not 100% committed perhaps? You can help a person in many ways, but in most situation you cannot help someone to kill himself. How can you say that death is the better alternative for that person. You cannot make that kind of decision for that person, period. If someone wants to kill himself, then he should do so without any outside help.

My point is that assisted suicide should not be allowed.

Answer 8

According to the law it is wrong. BUT morally, I think it is fine. I own my body, and I feel I should have the right to do with it as I please. If I am suffering, who are you to tell me that I can not end my life in a dignified way, instead of burdening myself and my family.

I don't understand how when a woman is pregnant with an unwanted baby, she has the defense that it is HER body and she has the right sot choose. Why can't grown adults have the right to CHOOSE whether to live or die? Why the double standard?

Answer 9

I'm 58. I've had an agreement with a friend from the military for nearly 40 years that IF it was necessary, either will help the other. I was, and am ready IF my father desired death, or was helpless. Yes, that could mean breaking laws, but I don't care as much about law, as I care about my life long friend, or my family.

Answer 10

as long as the person clearly states their wishes of their own free will i see no problem with it..oregon has medical suicide and i was a nurse on 3 cases where the person choose that option and they were very happy when they went and had all there family around them