Is it Ever Ok for Someone to Take His Own Life?

I think people should be allowed to do whatever they want with their own life.

If someone is ‘not’ allowed to do as they please with their own life it is implied that they are relinquishing that control to someone else.

If you have ever watched a family member slowly being eaten up by cancer, and watched the horrific pain endured, and the inevitable outcome of this torture, letting a fellow human being choose not to go through that is a gift. Let those who so choose have that gift. Brian Keith will always be a hero. Look it up.

After watching my own two parents continually disintegrate so that currently they are both in wheelchairs, diapers and suffer from profound dementia/brain damage, and it has been six years of this with no end in sight, I say kudos to Edward and Joan for having the ability and intelligence to do what they did. They saved their families from having to experience years of expensive (financially and emotionally) suffering and watching painful and inevitable decline. They chose the most excellent way to go, in my opinion. This should be available to others.

Of course it’s okay, people should be allowed to do what they want provided it does not hurt anyone else. Trying to impose Christofascist control over other people who aren’t hurting anyone is abjectly evil and immoral. If people want to kill themselves and no children are left behind to be emotionally harmed, intellectually and morally superior atheists find no problem with that.

Author Carolyn Heilbrun decided to take her own life when, in her own estimation, it was no longer worth living. I would make the same decision in a heartbeat, and have announced that decision to family and friends so that they will not be shocked or surprised when it happens.

ABC, no matter how tight deadlines are, you should still proofread, or at least run a spell check right before you upload: “Were coving”?!

Absolutely.
If i brought a pet into a vets’ office and the pet was in agonizig pain and could not have a quality life. Not only would the vet help me give my pet a comfortable death, they would likely hold me in contempt if i chose to treat the animal in the same way we treat a human at the end of life.
While it may appear that i am comparing the value of a human life to that of a dog or cat, i am actually not. I am comparing the compassion that we show our pets to the lack of compassion we show our family.
Can you imagine a world where we would force the beloved family dog to spend its final days, weeks, months or years confined to a vet clinic kenel in pain.
Why can’t we show the same type of respect for our family members.

Why is this even being asked? I think it’s wrong to deny the choice of what someone chooses to do with their life.
It’s arrogant to believe we have the right to judge others’ choices in life, much less if they choose to live or die. When everyone lives, thinks, behaves, and desires the same things we’ve lost our individuality and freedom to be individuals.
Weren’t we founded on give me liberty or give me death?

I watched my mother slowly die of dementia/alzhiemers. Everyone should have the option of going early if they wish

Politically, it should always be “legal” to commit suicide.
Morally, it is appropriate to commit suicide when one can no longer achieve any of one’s values.

Some argue that in a health care system that focuses on autonomy, independence and self control, that it presupposes certain ideas such as: the patient is the primary decision maker; the patient has an interest in being in charge; there is a clear understanding of diagnosis, prognosis, and options; the patient has equal financial access to medical care offered; the patient is competent to make choices; and that the patient has a spiritual orientation that does not emphasize divine intervention. There are many patients who are in a situation where one or more of the aforementioned conditions do not apply. This is where many are concerned that those who are at an economic disadvantage may choose PAS to avoid being a financial burden to their families, or because they do not have the same access to health care as wealthier patients. Even worse, patients may feel pushed into a certain direction by their family as a cost containment strategy.

Its your life…. do what you want with it! You should not need a reason or permission. You did not choose to be born, you should have the right to end it!

yes

“…. Although in these cases the guilt of the individual may be reduced or completely absent, nevertheless the error of judgment into which the conscience falls, perhaps in good faith, does not change the nature of this act of killing, which will always be in itself something to be rejected…”

I find it remarkable that when an animal is old and suffering we “don’t have the heart” to keep it alive. However, when a human being is suffering we don’t have the heart to let them die! Instead we fill them with drugs and machines to try to drain every bit of life out of them as we can, eve if it causes them nothing but endless misery.
In most cases taking one’s own life is needless and causes more suffering that it ends. But, in cases of the terminally ill where there is no hope, allow them to die with dignity.

One of the best laws a society can have is to make it unlawful to commit suicide or assist others in suicide.
A terrible thing that you can stupidly do to anyone you can communicate to is to tell them that you’re willing to accept their decision to commit suicide.
I’ve learned a lot about psychology and depression since the time I made the decision to die. I now believe that no one ever wants to die.
If you complain that suicide is a freedom, then it is just proof that freedom is not always desirable. To have pride is better than to have freedom.

I have a better question that should be asked and is never asked. Is it ever OK for a couple to inflict LIFE on a soul?
As far as I understand, NONE of us was consulted or had the chance to agree to be born. Birth and life is something we have NO ability to choose on, so, we are brought kicking and screaming and covered with blood into a world we didn’t make.
The way laws try to run our lives, telling us where to walk, how fast to drive, what to take into our bodies, etc., deciding when our lives should end, is perhaps the most fundamental of rights, and I believe, it should be listed even before the current first amendment. Perhaps the First Amendment should have a Part A and B, with part A saying that every individual past 18 years of age, should absolutely have the right to end their life, as long as they do not take the life of any other being in the process, unless that being is a sentient being and gives consent to ending their life. Jack Kevorkian should have been Surgeon General instead of a convicted felon.
“So it goes.”- Kurt Vonnegut (RIP)
~Code

I do believe people have the right to end their own life but I’m not so sure that someone should get assistance when there is not a terminal / chronic illness involved. Aren’t doctors supposed to “first – do no harm”. If someone is not in pain or dying, isn’t it harmful to help them die?
Not a religious thing and I can’t even say these people are wrong, but IF the US is going to consider assisted suicide then we are going to need to start with guideliness that allow this only for people in pain or dying.

As a Christian, I believe in the sanctity of life. However, I do not view the sanctity of life as preservation of life at all costs, as many Christians do. I think this couple made a choice to die with dignity, and in that, have elevated the concept of true living and exercise of God-given freedom.
I have watched family members die in agony and drug-induced stupor, and there wasn’t anything dignified or sanctified about it at all.

Yes – it is ok. We make the same decisions for our pets and we call that compassion – so why not show the same compassion to ourselves and families.

G-d Almighty the creator of heaven and earth has a book of laws called the seven noahide laws which he gave to the whole world. A person’s life, his body and his soul are G-d’s possessions. It is against the laws of Noah to take one’s own life (suicide). the question of life and death in such cases is not up to the person himself.

I watched my sister die of cancer and my brother was ill with Amyloidosis for seven years and he took himself off dialysis and died within four days with the help of a doctor that kept him out of pain with medication… My sister was not as lucky… It is so painful to have someone you love die muchless if it is so painful that the drugs can’t touch it.. I agree with ‘gus’ concerning pets….. If we allowed them to suffer as we do our love ones we would be considered horrible… As far as God goes…I thought he put us on this earth to have a mind of our own… I’m willing to be judged on how I feel concerning allowing all humans and animals to have dignity in death…. Why does anyone have to suffer in any manner if they don’t wish to…. also for those of you checking spelling and English….don’t you have something better to do…. Very happy to hear all the positive thoughts on the ‘right to die’…. sometimes one can feel alone in their thoughts……………………..

Actually, since “someone” is singular, it should read “is it ever right for someone to take his own life”, “his” being the generic for anyone, male or female.

I can’t think of anything more basic to life than the ability to end your own life. Only animals are forced by nature to endure disease and damage that makes life unendurable. Only humans by their intellect can see what the future holds for them and end their torment. Millions of people will “put down” animals that are suffering, those same people will insist that a dying and tormented human life continues. It makes no sense to me.

No, this should NOT be a right. Why not?
1) Rights will be violated for convenience of others. This happens now in the Netherlands where older folks are scared of going into a health clinic fearing they will be deemed a burden on the system.
2) In Oregon, a woman recently received a letter stating that her health insurance provider will not cover the needed care she needs for a chronic condition, however, they will cover the cost of euthanasia.
3) Pain management is much better today than it has ever been…and patients aren’t even doped out on the new pain meds available. Anyone who argues otherwise just doesn’t know anything about medicine.
4) Quality of Life as an argument for allowing people to die is totally subjective. People with depression will deem that they have no quality of life, when all they need is good treatment (which is available) for their depression. Ditto for most other ailments.
Opening Pandora’s box for taking one’s life is NOT the compassionate thing to do.

I am glad you wrote this article; not because of your slant toward thinking it wrong to take one’s own life but because it was nice to read the comments from your readers: most everyone agrees that we all have that right.
I wish humans could also understand though, that (legal or not) we do have the power to take our lives. This is not the case for the animals suffering in factory farms, on Rodeo and Circus circuits, in research laboratories, at bear baiting events, and the list goes on and on. These animals CANNOT commit suicide no matter how dire their circumstances.
For those who advocate that humans should have the legal right to end their own lives please advocate for the animals too. Since they cannot escape their captors and suicide is not an option, let’s do something for them before we leave this earth for good.

It’s my life, I’ll do whatever I want with it, laws or no laws…….

Everyone has the option to do as they please. For me I believe in GOD i could never take my own life and think I would still go to Heaven. But i can totally understand not wanting to have your daughters and sons see you suffer. I Have faith and I will go out when it’s time for me to go.

I watched my mother, one sister age 39 and my two brothers ages 39 and 54 all pass away from different types of cancer. My sister and the younger brother both decided to fight their cancers with chemo, radiation, etc. and they both had long agonizing painful times until they died. My older brother chose not to fight and he lived for only a month after he found out that he had cancer. My mothers lung cancer was incurable. She passed away at the age of 71 in a nursing home with her family surrounding her. All four of them went home to be with the Lord without a doubt. I think what you really want to know is this: will a person who kills themself go to Heaven and will God understand enough to let them in? I have another sister who is going through chemo and radiation for cervical cancer, she is doing all that she can to live. She is 55 years old and she knows the Lord and she knows what God has said, that a person should not kill. I would reckon that if we take our own life then that would be killing wouldn’t it? We have to allow God to choose when we go. My son- in -laws Uncle recently passed away after a really bad fall that left him brain dead. His family pulled the plug but, it was God who chose weather he would keep breathing or not. We can not bargin with God, If you think we can, then when you see Judas ask him what he wishes he would have done!

Yes.

After watching my wife endure her mother’s struggles from a range or issues to include dementia and being confined to a bed for months I am absolutely in favor of making a personal choice. Had her mind not gone before her body she would have chose to go on her own terms and save herself and her son and daugher the agony of watching her slowly pass.

As a suicide survivor, my husband killed himself, I have experience with this issue. The underlying depression should be dealt with. If the depression is helped, the desire to kill one’s self may be diminished or eliminated. All people should have free will, but the deep depression suffered by many means that they are not acting out of free will. If they were not depressed they would be thinking of their families and other loved ones and their thoughts would not be warped by their illness.

It is my opinion only that humans should have the right to end their lives when they have a terminal illness that will cause them pain and endless suffering. We offer humane and compassionate euthanasia to animals when they are at this stage, why do we balk when the patient is human. If the patient wants to end his life this way, by humane euthanasia, then he should be allowed to do it.

Once a person reaches what is considered the age of reason, there should be no restrictions on whether that person chooses to live or die. Modern medicine has enabled us to live a lot longer. Some of us develop maladies that make our quality of life a living hell. I see nothing wrong with allowing those of us who are tired of the pain of living to choose the relief of death. It’s not like there aren’t enough people to go around these days. And, there should be no legal or financial penalties imposed either, i.e. from the insurance companies!

Paul S
Since when is potential deafness a terminal disease?

I believe a person has the right to choose. It’s their life. I would want to die the same way if my husband were termanally ill. I couldn’t think of a better way to go than in his arms and together. How peaceful would that be. It wouldn’t be right to deny someone that.

I am expecting that government is going to be encouraging the elimination of elderly and terminally ill people, in the not to distant future, as they no longer want to provide any way for the elderly to survive, financially, or medically.
They want to eliminate medicare and medicaid, and make those people buy the government’s health insurance.
The only way to escape that new “tax”, is to commit Hari Kari.

Is our life not our own?
This man KNEW he could not go on without his beloved wife and life partner. Very few people have ever experienced that depth of love and devotion.
How could they possibly understand?
She, on the other hand did not want to die in pain of a horrible disease.
Again, unless you have experienced these things, you can not possibly understand their decision.
Personally, I applaud the clinic and their bravery.
Once you’ve watched a loved one suffer you too will understand.
We are allowed to “pull the plug” and make the decision to end the life of a family member that is considered brain dead. “They are going to die anyway. Right?”
We are allowed to stop the suffering of a pet.
Why is it that we are not allowed to make that decision for ourselves?
HMMMM?

How can soembody else have control over your fate and body? If you are not in charge of it, you are not a free person. Nobody needs to know the medical history and stand judge over a person in bad pain. I have watched my father die in such incredible pain it was heartbreaking. Why do we put animals down to prevent suffering, yet we try to justify allowing our loved ones to suffer.