Should Human Beings Have The Right To End Their Lives?
We all come into this world by chance and without choice. Some of us come into this world with the better role of the dice than others, for example born into a richer family, good genetics, no diseases, while others might not be as lucky. Many born today also have a predisposition to mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, which all influences the way that someone lives their life. If someone is chronically unhappy should they have the right to end their life?
Part of me is very torn on this idea because I think many times than not people can overcome temporary depression and anxiety and things do get better. However that being said, I do believe that you should have the right to do anything you with to do with your own body and life. There are cases where people will never get better and with many types of depression, it is a battle people face not for weeks, but for years. Some people go through their whole lives with depression and it never gets better.
The cold hard truth is for many, life is full of pure suffering with no exit in sight but death. People who suffer from degenerative muscle diseases and can’t control their body, or are confined to live their lives in a wheel chair might be in constant pain. Some of these people do not wish to live out a life like this and I personally think if they want to partake in an assisted suicide program, it is not my place to stop them. This might come down to a human rights issue more than a moral one in the end.
Some countries have already begun to offer assisted suicide and euthanasia programs based not only on terminal illness, but also for those who want to end their lives. It is very heavily regulated and there are very few people per year that actually are able to take part , but it offers a legal way to go about suicide. Obviously if someone really wants to end their life, they don’t need government permission, which is why criminalizing suicide, like the majority of countries have done makes no sense.
Morally the decision comes down to what you believe or the perspective life has given you on that matter. For me, I see legal suicide as an active choice to end one’s life and a right given to us purely by existing. If it was legal and people went through the legal loopholes which took years, the majority of people would not end up doing something they regretted immediately. That being said, it does scare me that someone might regret the decision as soon as they choose undergo it.
Im really interested to hear your opinions on this idea or what you think about the countries who have already legalized it in some form. Do you think this is a moral dilemma or one of human rights? Do you know someone that a law like this might affect negatively or positively? Every response no matter your opinion is appreciated.
The idea that you need to be given permission to end your own life sounds absurd to me. No one can be in the place of someone else and feel what they are feeling.
If someone wants to commit suicide, they will do it without asking for permission. The problem is when someone is so sick that he or she is unable to do it by themselves.
You can take it as pure discrimination. You know how everyone boasts about equal rights for people with disabilities? If someone cannot walk up the stairs because they sit on a wheelchair, a ramp will be set for them. How about if someone cannot walk up to the window in order to jump out? Where is the assistance there? I see double ethics here.
If someone wants to die, they should be able to. Apart from illnesses and pain, it also depends on how one views life and its meaning or purpose. Why is life so important anyways, one might claim. Why is non-existence so bad? Why are the atoms of my body better off working for an organism than converting into other forms of life and energy independent to each other?
Forcing people to stay alive just because "its the right thing and life is valuable" (for you) means that you oppressively impose your ethics and ideologies on them.
This is a very complex issue. I always believed that people should be free to choose what to do with their own lives, up to and including ending them.
But in practice, it tends to hurt a lot of people. I have personally contemplated suicide, and managed to recover from my depression with the help of medication... If suicide was more accepted, would I still be alive right now? I honestly do not know.
I also had a friend who killed himself, and I remember how that sent shockwaves around all those who knew him.
I do think that it is a personal decision, but not one to be taken lightly.
I agree on the complexity of this issue, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about related questions. Even though I know that it not possible nor expedient, I do feel that regret and sadness over the suicide of a beloved one is not an appropriate reaction. If somebody comes to the conclusion of ending one's life (and not in an affective, unconscious way), this is a choice of free will everybody has to accept. However, as the person knows, what sadness and regret he is about to bring upon his close ones, this might interfere with his free decision, ultimately preventing him from suicide. However, these people now intervene in a choice witch is not theirs to choose. For sure, I do see that it's not always as black and white as that. In a lot of cases, said suicidal person might be the main breadwinner of a family, financially ruining all the other members and so on ...
I only feel, that the own will of persons with suicidal thoughts gets neglected a lot.
The idea that government can grant or deny "rights" is a dangerous delusion. Government can only try and uphold rights, or try and deny them, but they can not grant them.
I have the right to manage my body in whatever way I choose, and it wasn't government who granted me that control. It is simply the nature of being.
Suicide IS a problem however, and the number of suicides among otherwise healthy individuals is on the rise. We should all be aware of the warning signs of depression, and be alert to those around us who may be in crisis.
If you, or anyone you know requires assistance, there are resources available to get help:
http://suicideprevention.ca/ (I am writing from Canada)
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
I wish I could have an opinion but I am as divided as you. I believe humans should have rights regarding their bodies and lives, but I have met many who wouldn't be able to handle those rights. And then....what would give me the right to decide who could or could not handle freedom?
Everyone already have the right to end their life. The only reason one would think they don't have the right to end their own life is if they are under mind control or are a slave/indenture servant. It may not be pleasant thinking of someone else taking their life, but who are you to judge something you did not create; unless you are stating you are GOD.
Our lives are the most previous thing we have. If we let others dictate what happens to us then we are as good as dead.
Life experience shapes perspective. A family friend doctor had me write on this when I was about 16 years old, and from then to now, my views on this have changed 360 degrees. At that time, with the lack of experiencing deaths or illnesses of loved ones, I believed in only the view of letting live. Recently, the father of my 3 sons died suddenly of a heart attack. In pondering everything that happened, they decided that even if he were resuscitated after the 4 to 10 minute threshold, they would have chosen to let him die, because he would simply live a life of suffering. Although taking a life may seem inhumane, a life preserved that's doomed to suffer may actually be the most inhumane.
This is very controversial issue. Every person is responsible for their own choices and actions. Every person has a right to choice, what he will do whit his life, unless it doesn't hurt others. But i believe in LIFE, so i will try everything to stop anyone from killing himself.
Even if it's a life of endless suffering?
Yes. But like a said, it is very complex topic. I honestly have to thing about it for a second.
Not everyone is responsible for their own choices and actions. I work with people that have dementia and many of them are no longer in a position where they can make their own choices, even on simple day to day matters. There are also people who are profoundly disabled and they cannot make choices for themselves either.
Those of us who can choose, are the fortunate ones.
Indeed we do not choose to be born into this world, but we are destined to be born as a leader for others, to make this world more feasible to be inhabited for all creatures of God. In my country euthanasia is only justified for medical reasons
Is clinical depression a good enough medical reason?
No, depression can still be treated by neurologists and psychologists. Only if the patient's brainstem has been declared dead or no hope to recovery, then passive euthanasia can be done
You're assuming people even have access to healthcare.
I had depression for the best part of 20 years and I'm not sure it will ever go away entirely, but in those 20 odd years, not once did I ever have access to a neurologist or a psychologist. The mental health branch of the National Health System in the UK is very hit and miss and for me, the ONLY treatment available was medication and that involved a lot of trial and error.
If a persons brainstem is already dead, then euthanasia is irrelevant. They are already dead.
Clearly most people can choose to end their life, but what about people who cannot? If you have locked in syndrome where you are concious but unable to move or communicate in any way, or even if you can communicate but are paralysed, then you can make the choice to die, but you cannot action it.
I suppose the way I would approach assisted suicide would be;
You must be of sound mind.
You must be able to clearly communicate your intention to die, but prior notice is void unless you are no longer able to communicate.
The prospect of any remission of a medical condition must be so remote as to be considered impossible.
Im not pretending I have this at all correct, and I certainly would not have the confidence to make the rules in real life.