The right to death

[note: to anyone who comes on this post in a suicidal state, I implore that you think about it for a significant amount of time before you act on it. And by significant I mean at least months. If you've made it this long you can last a few more months.]

su·i·cide (sōō'ĭ-sīd') n.
1. the intentional taking of one's own life.
2. a person who intentionally takes his or her own life.
3. the act of intentionally terminating one's own life

Suicide and assisted suicide are very controversial issues. Ones people aren't often comfortable to talk about or even listen about. The fact is, a great deal of people....most I'd probably say...are opposed to it.

First of all, I feel it should be noted that I hate the term "suicide victim". There is no victim in suicide. The person made a choice. Whether the choice was good or bad, right or wrong, is infinitely debatable, but the person made a choice. Now, barring the fact that they're mentally incapable of comprehending the choice (ie. they're mentally retarded), it was their choice to make and no one forced it on them, thus there was no victim. Anyway...

I personally share the viewpoint of the minority on the topic of suicide and there's a few reasons why which I'll get into in a moment. For now, let's look at the fact that there are a great many sites on the internet that deal with suicide. Most of these sites are aimed at "helping" people who are thinking about suicide, making them realize that there is more to life and that they shouldn't be "giving up" (http://www.metanoia.org/suicide/). I actually applaud these sites and think they're great things for whoever might need them, regardless of if they seem less than effective in helping most people who think of suicide.

Then there's the opposite side of the spectrum, there are sites which assist in helping people to commit suicide (A Practical Guide to Suicide). These sites contain detailed information on how to commit suicide, which in turn probably makes it easier for certain people, which I don't think is a good thing. However if someone actually thinking about killing themselves took the time to fully read the above text, they'd notice a lot of logical thought processes being stated.

And this is wherein the trouble lies. Unfortunately, most suicides (as with most murders) are done in the fits of strong emotion. People generally don't put a lot of thought into it, and it is these types of suicides I'm against. It's also these types that are much less likely to go on the internet and read a website about suicide or call a suicide hotline. Mostly the people who do those are either putting a lot of thought into the matter, or insincere in their wanting to kill themselves and merely are looking for attention.

I agree, wholeheartedly that people who are in a severe emotional state should be prevented from committing suicide so that they have more time to think about it. I do think however, that this whole ideal of our society, that suicide no matter what is wrong, is ridiculous.

Let's look at it this way shall we. You may be against the death penalty, but many states do still use it. Now if the government has the right to kill you, how is it not fair then that you should have the right to kill yourself? I certainly think it's fair, and to be honest, I feel the right to death is an inalienable right that should be placed alongside the rights to life and liberty.

"Life is like a movie, if you've sat through more than half of it and its sucked every second so far, it probably isn't gonna get great right at the end and make it all worthwhile. No one should blame you for walking out early."

I think that when people try and put guilt on someone for thinking about suicide, by telling them how it's "wrong and weak" and will "hurt everyone" is selfish and plain despicable. Any person who tries and puts anymore emotional baggage on a person, who already clearly has enough of it if they're thinking of killing themselves, is being a complete dipshit, plain and simple. They fail to look at it from the suicidal persons perspective, see how to the suicidal person what you're telling him is hypocritical, as what you're asking of him (living with pain, be it physical or emotional) is what you're afraid to face yourself by letting him kill himself.

Assisted suicide is a little more tricky, only simply for the fact that if not careful, it can simply be used as a cover for murder. Doctor assisted suicide I also feel should be an option for people with serious medical problems.

I think suicide should actually be made easier for people who have seriously thought about suicide for a substantial amount of time and have reached a decision on killing themselves as well as for people who are suffering from serious medical conditions. Not necessarily easier to do, just a more humane way to do it. I feel that being able to get pills that quietly and easily kill you from a doctor would not be such a bad thing, and would help alleviate some of the families trauma of some gruesome deaths.

I know most people will disagree with my opinions I've stated, but I also know most people haven't thought about this subject as much as I have. I'll admit that I have thought about suicide more than once in the past, not all of them as clearheaded, well thought out or serious as I portray now. It's helped to give me a different perspective on the subject, and I'd only wish more people would open their minds and start thinking outside the box on this. As much as I love things to be a simple black vs. white, this isn't, it's a vast gray area with no clear cut answers.

Suicide is not necessarily a solution, but it remains an option people have a right to have.



"I tried to commit suicide by sticking my head in the oven, but there was a cake in it. And boy do I love cake"