Suicide: An Ethical Delimna

[bennyboy]

I don't really hate people who want to kill themselves-- I hate the quality of weakness or despair that allows people with a chance at a good life to throw it away because they are feeling depressed or thinking irrationally. My mother was suicidal-- should I have, at the age of 4 or 5, supported her "right" to end her life? I myself have contemplated suicide. Should I disregard my childrens' best interests if I decide I've had enough of this world?

It sounded hateful. Doesn't mean you are but it sounded that way. Wanting to die, for me, is admitting I'm not strong enough to deal with the horrors of my past and the painful memories that still haunt me. My children are the only reason I didn't off myself years ago. Choosing to live is a testament of my love for them. It doesn't make me stronger or better than those who can't make that choice. It just makes me different. The worst thing to say to a suicidal person is you're so weak and selfish. That just makes them want to die more I think.

Calling suicides selfish pricks does sound hateful, and I should have used different words. I apologize.

I'm not currently counseling a suicidal person. I'm debating whether it is ethical for one to kill oneself. I don't accept the argument that since someone feels deeply depressed or has a chemical imbalance, that it is therefore okay for them to commit suicide. A condition or feeling, no matter how severe, that underlies an unethical act doesn't make it less unethical. If a woman is on medication and drowns a perfectly healthy baby in the ocean, her condition makes the act somewhat more understandable. However, it does not change the fact that she's committed a horrible act, or that this act is unethical. The same goes for you: if you had committed suicide, your experiences and feelings would have made your act more understandable. . . but not more ethical.