Suicide may be defined as an attempt to kill oneself. It is the act of taking your life by your own hands or by other violent means. Suicide happens all around the globe but in the United States, the rate of committing suicide is increasing day by day. Some horrible incidents made headlines in America in the past as stories of suicide became known. The last couple of decades has been really bad for Americans as suicide news kept appearing in the media.
Now, suicide is considered one of the most common reasons for death. “Four [young persons] from Bergenfield, New Jersey, locked themselves in a garage, turned on the car motor, and killed themselves. The following week four youths in Ohio took their lives, and another couple in Bergenfield tried to kill themselves in the same garage that was the scene of the earlier suicide. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the rate of … suicide has doubled since 1972” (Kohl, 1987).
The decade of the 60s and 70s in which the trend of suicide started and never stopped. The macabre of death kept on haunting the nation. The following decades brought more death and more suicides. These alarming developments continue to portray a grim picture of American society today and figures from different sources vouch for that. (Wilcox, 2004)
Many reasons can be the cause of committing suicide. Many social, physiological, psychological causes affect a person’s behavior and lead them towards suicide. Suicide also causes many social problems and becomes a cause of concern for society as a whole rather than families if such acts continue to take place.
But does a person have the right to kill himself? Many would want to argue against the presence of such a right but there are some proponents of this right as well and according to them, the right to suicide is closely linked with the right to self-determination. Some arbiters may prefer morality over reality. But at the same time, facts can not be totally ignored. Normal rules for morality are tested hard in such extreme scenarios, where the deliberate ending of the life of a human being is decided. History reveals that killing a human is not always and essentially regarded as a sin. It mostly depends on the situation. As far as suicide is concerned, there is a school of thought that supports its arguments in favor of both forms of suicide i.e., active and passive. To assess and analyze the true perspective of its proponents, few major arguments in its favor are highlighted below:
- Argument – 1 (To End Pain and Suffering). Life is a precious gift of God. It is a source of happiness and joy. It however sometimes may bring distress, suffering, sorrows, and agony. The human body can sustain pain to a certain limit. More so, the pain having no ending becomes unbearable. The proposition merely is that individuals, who are undergoing an incurable and fatal disease contributing to a terrible and painful death, should be permitted through legislation to opt for quick and spontaneous death. Such individuals would have already lost any hope for life and instead of waiting for an agonizing ending of their lives they should be assisted in ‘good death’. This argument stresses the need of relieving the pain and suffering of individuals. (Bob Lane, 2005)
- Argument- 2 (Autonomy and Self Determination). This argument derives its strength from the fact that every human being enjoys the right to freedom and self-determination. Just imagine a person suffering from depression or some serious problems and seeks to end his life, is he not entitled to decide what is best for him? Moreover, when he is sure that there is no hope for him in this world and he doesn’t want to live in misery, why is it not alright to let him decide what’s right for him. Who are we to decide that he must continue to live in pain and misery? The judgment of such a person should be respected. The proponents of the theory strive to convince that after all alternatives have been thoroughly considered, this person has the right to make a choice to live in suffering or to die. (Bob Lane, 2005)
- Argument – 3 (Moral and Legal Legitimacy). As ridiculous as this may sound, it is felt that some forms of suicide may actually beneficial to the one killed. If it is not suicide by hand, and a person decides to kill himself through his physician then it may act of kindness.
There are some views on the subject of the right to kill one’s self. This is a highly controversial subject and one that cannot be decided in categorical terms.
References
- Wilcox, B. (2004). Children at Risk. First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life. 140: 12+.
- Kohl, H. (1987). Pushing Kids Away; What Teen Suicide Means. The Nation. 244.
- Euthanasia, the debate continues by Bob Lane. Web.