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Legal Assisted Suicide? - Page 2

Time heals, Armstrong.
In a several years after the tragedy, our middle aged man might meet somebody for whom he might become a really dear person.

The life's most favourite trick is that you never know what expects you even tonight, let alone nearest and not so near future, that is why it is probably not the wisest idea to quit the theater while the show is still going.

I do believe there can be situations when taking your own life is, probably, the only solution, but there are extremely rare and they must stay like that.

As for assisted suicide, I'm negative about it.

1. It's a known fact that normally those who suceed in a suicide, seldom share their intentions with close to them people. They seldom leave notes, too.
If a person talks left and right about his desire to stop his existence, in most cases it is his way to give a "help me" sign. He doesn't actually want to die, what he needs is help and attention - and yes, it might be he is just a manipulator and would never get enough of either, but this is another topic.
Offering people in this condition a prescription for drugs is like helpfully handing your friend a rope in answer to his, "To heck with this stupid life, I want to die" while he needs your support, conversation, advice, your "been there - done that", a bottle of wine you share while talking.

I am not exactly sure how that Death Team might work, but if they do not provide any psychological help to those who come to them, it really is plainly unfair and just low. Especially if they make money on it.

2. Crowd feeling.
Crazy as it sounds, quite a few of their "clients" might come to them just following their friends.
This might become simply fashionable, especially if some celebrity did it or mentioned about it.
It is especially dangerous when in company. When you're alone, you can quit any moment, in company you might end up doing something you actually don't want to do, just because. Not to look as a coward. Because you promised. On a dare. In a word: because you already went too far. Of course, when you act alone, all of this can happen, too, but in a company the chance you won't withdraw even if you want to, sky-rockets.

If you decided to kill yourself - do it yourself, and pass all the stages, from hesitating to buying pills or sharpening the razor, yourself. It will give you time to think, to change your mind, to stop. When somebody else is doing it for you, your brain stops working, you live on a programme, you do NOT decide yourself.

Do not put the responsibility on others and unless you are a vegetable, totally depending on other people and not being able to even push the button on your artificial lungs to switch them off (in case you are 100% sure you want it) - really, you shouldn't seek an assistance in that matter.

Edited: Klausse on 7th Mar, 2006 - 4:03pm

Suicide Assisted Legal

I see your point but lets look at our man again, he's mentally scared no amount of time can heal that. I to frown on assisted suicide to me thats just attention seeking as Klausse said most serious people don't tell anybody but before you can judge a person for trying to take there own life look at what there feeling and if possible try to help them but if you know nothing how can you possibly comprehend what to do in that situation. If there is an obvious solution then I'm all for it being used in the appropiate way. I also understand when someone is upset they do not think straight and need guidance but lets just go back to our middle aged man again his guidance is now dead how do you think people cope with that and what advice would you give to them? Remember try to imagine the frame of mind the man would be in then state your answer.

Legal Assisted Suicide? History & Civil Business Politics

Judging a person for trying to take his own life is the last thing I'll do. I did say, sometimes it might be the only possible solution, but to say it again - it should not be in the top ten list of solutions.

Getting back to our middle aged man.
I don't know what I'd tell him, mostly because he's too hypothetical for me. I don't know his personality, his life values or believes.

My main question to him would be what exactly he hopes to achieve with this.

It's either he's hoping
1) to join them there if he believes in future meeting
or
2) to just stop his own sufferings because death stops everything.

To 1) I'd say that he'd fail.
If they are gone and he stayed alive, it means his time didn't come yet. It also means that if he jumped the gun and appeared there earlier than he should, no one would meet him. As no one would come to a train station at 5 AM if the train is only supposed to arrive in the evening.
Here or there, he'd have to wait for his time, to wait for them. But waiting here would be more productive because if he is here it means he is needed here.

To 2) I'd say we can't be totally sure.
Suppose, it doesn't stop everything and suppose even behind that line he crossed, he wouldn't free himself of grief and sufferings.
If it does stop everything - who'd gain from it?
So there will be one more family that went to the complete oblivion, that's all. We all will end up there, sooner or later.

Since no one knows for sure what to expect there, and he obviously has problems here, it might be worth trying to deal with them here.

He could try to do something for his beloved ones who left him, like keeping them with him. Well, even starting an online site might work. No need to make it a place of total grief. Anything dedicated to them. Just simply to create them a new place in his life. They can't be physically with him any longer, but it doesn't mean they left all other levels of his existance.

When he felt they didn't leave him forever and without traces, he would be able to live further carrying them inside as unseparatable part of him.

Something like that... *shrugs*

Page 2 Suicide Assisted Legal

As a person of faith, my belief is that sorrow such as was described here, is inflicted on us for a purpose. It is a test of our resolve, and our faith in a higher power. I remember the story of Job, in the Bible, who lost everything he had, but still believed in God, and didn't try to escape, but kept on praising God. That is the example we, as humans on this earth, need to follow when faced with difficulties.
Too many people today feel that they have to escape this life because it is so difficult to bear. That means they need to strengthen their faith and resolve, and push forward to make their lifes better. I know this is becoming a religious rant of sorts, but it is what I base my opinions on, especially when it comes to death and suicide. No one person should believe they have the sole authority to take their own life. Your life was given to you as a gift, and sometimes that gift becomes sour, but it doesn't mean things won't and can't get better.

Suicide Assisted Legal

I totally understand the idea of life being a gift. But when you ("you" being impersonal here) give a gift to somebody, together with the gift, you give all your rights to it to that person. It's not like you give something to somebody and then keep returning to his place to monitor how he is using your gift.

I agree, it is always nice to know your gift was appreciated and is useful for your friend, but if by some reason he is not happy with it and doesn't use it or even got rid of it, - much as it might sadden you, what can you do here? It was his right because, even if the thing came from you, since the moment you gave it to him, it belongs to him.

Legal Assisted Suicide?

Yes Klausse, you are correct. There isn't anything anyone can do if that person decides to destroy the gift that was given them. However, if you really cherish your friend, wouldn't you cherish that gift that was given to you? And if that gift was the greatest gift that anyone could receive, wouldn't you try your best to protect that gift, even when it seemed that the worst was upon you?
Life is not a trivial gift such as a book and it was given to us by our Heavenly father. It was given to us so we could do our best with it, and live it to the fullest. It was also given to us knowing that bad things could happen to us, but if we have faith, we can overcome anything. That is my belief.

Legal Assisted Suicide - Page 2

I agree with both of your answers as I am getting a religious view and understanding view. You both have good points and I respect what you would do if you met our middle aged man klausse. Malexander yours is the more religious view and I respect that but I have to agree with klausse on this one, I can't bare the idea of not controlling or owning my life and body. Though I do agree that life is a gift and should be cherished at every possible turn but the real fact is we will never know what drives a person to suicide, we can guess but we will never know for sure whats going on inside their heads and to solve this problem thats the sort of information you would really need to aquire which is why I say they should be allowed to take their own life because if you can't help stay out of it because you will only hurt them more and they don't deserve to be punished. I also know this has an effect on family also I know our middle aged man entire family died but that was just an extreme, but to keep someone alive for somebody else is completely selfish you might say that the person committing suicide is selfish but I would say if you care about someone enough you would already know what the problem is and be able to help them if not how close were you anyway.

Legal Assisted Suicide Politics Business Civil & History - Page 2

Looks like Switzerland is potentially opening up the rules to have some additional temporary visitors...

https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070203/ap_on_...isted_suicide_1

If all goes as stated, the mentally ill can elect to end their lives in Switzerland. If you were for allowing the terminally ill the chance to end their suffering, how about this expansion of the idea?

In my mind, this is a dangerous course. Who will be allowed to end their lives next? People that lose a limb? People that lose a loved one and cannot see things getting better? People that lose there hearing or sight? A very slippery slope indeed!