The right to die?

[Bill the Cat]

It's a complex question. People desire to end their lives for a variety of reasons. Some of which are diametrically opposed to others.

Do people have a right to end their lives on their own terms

Depends. When a young person tries to slit their wrists, do we not make every effort to save them, and then counsel them to encourage them to want to live? Do we try to stop the soldier who throws himself on the grenade to save his comrades?

IE: assisted suicide?

Assisted? Meaning someone else is complicit in their death? No. That's still murder.

I'm not asking if you would end your life that way, but do you think others have that right themselves?

As long as no one else is involved? Perhaps. I think it's more complex than just saying that it is ok for any person to take their own life. It's another matter altogether when someone else gets involved.

I personally believe that if someone wishes to end their life (for whatever reason) that it is their fundamental right.

Would you say that if it were your daughter trying to kill herself?

It is your body and you know how much pain you can take - mentally or physically. Others should simply concern themselves with their own life, and let other decide for themselves

But you are not talking about concerning themselves with their own life when you have them participating in another's suicide.

[TheWall]

A soldier jumoing on a grenade to save his freinds is more of a sacrifice to save others. Besides we can never be sure if the soldier will survive or not.

[Bill the Cat]

A soldier jumoing on a grenade to save his freinds is more of a sacrifice to save others. Besides we can never be sure if the soldier will survive or not.

It's still attempted suicide.

[KingsGambit]

He was a grown man. Whatever his problems are/were they were his to find help for, not for you to make decisions for him, as if he was a small child. If I want to gamble it's none of your business how much I put on the line.

He told me he was grateful when I met up with him about ten years later

[Joel]

What about someone who jumps out the window of a skyscraper to avoid being slowly burned to death? Would that suicide be immoral? If you were there, would you forcibly hold him there to burn together? Would it be immoral for you to do that?

[Bill the Cat]

What about someone who jumps out the window of a skyscraper to avoid being slowly burned to death? Would that suicide be immoral? If you were there, would you forcibly hold him there to burn together? Would it be immoral for you to do that?

Exactly my point. It's too broad a brush.

[Sea of red]

It's a complex question. People desire to end their lives for a variety of reasons. Some of which are diametrically opposed to others.

I agree.

Depends. When a young person tries to slit their wrists, do we not make every effort to save them, and then counsel them to encourage them to want to live? Do we try to stop the soldier who throws himself on the grenade to save his comrades?

Sure, but at a certain point when people are just not having the will to live (for whatever reason) you have to allow them to go through with it if they truly wish to. Forcing them to live leads to people resorting to dangerous methods that may just greatly harm them while they survive, or even harm other people accidentally - or intentionally if they go from being depressed to deranged. It's gory and I don't like it all, but it's a reality we have to face sometimes.

Assisted? Meaning someone else is complicit in their death? No. That's still murder.

Murder is killing an innocent person that wishes to live.

As long as no one else is involved? Perhaps. I think it's more complex than just saying that it is ok for any person to take their own life. It's another matter altogether when someone else gets involved.

I understand the concern. My main wish is that people simply be monitored while they do it, and that everything goes according to plan, without any innocents being harmed. We afford it to pond scum that torture people like Bundy or Gacy, so why not someone that simply wishes to go peacefully? Lets at least treat them as humane as death row inmates.

Would you say that if it were your daughter trying to kill herself?

I don't have one. If I did and she was young I would try everything I could to help her. But if she was hell bent and I knew it was going to happen, I would just hope she went peacefully if she went trough with it, and nobody innocent was harmed.

[Sea of red]

What about someone who jumps out the window of a skyscraper to avoid being slowly burned to death? Would that suicide be immoral? If you were there, would you forcibly hold him there to burn together? Would it be immoral for you to do that?

It leaves a sick feeling in your stomach just to think about, doesn't it?

[Cow Poke]

Of course it should be legal. Seems like a non-issue to me.

I'm betting everybody is absolutely shocked out of their gourd.

[Cow Poke]

Murder is killing an innocent person that wishes to live.

From whence cometh that definition?

Dictionary.com

Murder
noun
1. Law. the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law. In the U.S., special statutory definitions include murder committed with malice aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation or occurring during the commission of another serious crime, as robbery or arson (first-degree murder) and murder by intent but without deliberation or premeditation (second-degree murder)

[TheWall]

Do as much as you can to preserve and save life. Even if you die in the process.

[TheWall]

Btw I looked up the hipicratic oath. It does adress such issues. The original oath speaks out against given people a poison or forcing a prolapse of the uterus

[Sea of red]

From whence cometh that definition?

Dictionary.com

Murder
noun
1. Law. the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law. In the U.S., special statutory definitions include murder committed with malice aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation or occurring during the commission of another serious crime, as robbery or arson (first-degree murder) and murder by intent but without deliberation or premeditation (second-degree murder)

The law says abortion isn't murder, do you agree with that?

[KingsGambit]

I don't view sacrificing your own life to save another as suicide, not by any meaningful definition of the term. 2000 years of Christian thought universally condemns suicide, yet sees no contradiction between this and Jesus saying "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.

[Sea of red]

Do as much as you can to preserve and save life. Even if you die in the process.

Even ISIS?