In today's society, suicide can be a multifaceted issue, sometimes an act of heroism, selfishness, love, or a brave choice. I am arguing against suicide because it is not a solution to a problem, it should not even be included as an option. Suicide is simply defined as “the deliberate taking of one’s own life, usually the result of a psychiatric disorder, although sometimes deliberated in the face of life-threatening physical illness, significant interpersonal stress, or when under the influence of one or more substances of abuse” (Piotrowski). This topic interests me because of the fact that the rates are increasing year after year and it can happen to someone close to me at any moment. This topic should interest you too because someone close to you can show warning signs, which can be subtle or more discernible. Also if you are reading this as a parent, you should know “suicide is the third leading cause of death for those between the ages of ten and fourteen, and it is the second leading cause of death for those ages fifteen to thirty-four” (Goff). Yet the factors that play into a someone's decision is anything but simple. The most obvious and severe effect of suicide is the loss of a meaningful, valuable human life. “In the United States in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 41,149 individuals committed suicide and approximately 494,169 received medical treatment for self-inflicted injuries. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported an estimated 800,000 suicides worldwide in 2016, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among fifteen- to twenty-nine-year-olds worldwide. Women attempt suicide more often than men, but men complete suicide more often than women because men tend to use more lethal means, such as a firearm” (Piotrowski). With suicide rates on a continuous rise in America, society must ask what can be done to save lives.
The main argument against suicide is that it is selfish, which is true. By you killing yourself, it causes a lot of pain to those left behind, like your family, loved ones, friends, etc. They tend to blame themselves for your death. Even if you feel like nobody in the whole world cares about you, you are wrong. When you think
"More people in the general population die from suicide than homicide in North America. There are almost 11 suicide deaths each year for every 100,000 people living in the United States, and for every suicide, there are between 8 and 25 attempts" (Brent 4203). Based on this research, the great effect of suicide is displayed. According to dictionary.com, suicide can be defined as "the intentional taking of one's own life." Suicide is a major issue for all people, but it most obviously affects those ranging from ten to twenty-four. People need to understand the tremendous ramifications caused from suicide everyday; when people take their lives, others lose their loved ones. Suicide, one of the leading causes of death of numerous people each day, has reached a crisis point for adolescents and young adults, and it needs to be prevented.
The word suicide gives many people negative feelings and is a socially taboo subject. However, suicide might be beneficial to terminally ill patients. Physician- assisted suicide has been one of the most controversial modern topics. Many wonder if it is morally correct to put a terminally ill patient out of their misery. Physicians should be able to meet the requests of their terminally ill patients. Unfortunately, a physician can be doing more harm by keeping someone alive instead of letting them die peacefully. For example, an assisted suicide can bring comfort to patients. These patients are in excruciating pain and will eventually perish. The government should not be involved in such a personal decision. A physician- assisted suicide comes with many benefits for the patient. If a person is terminally ill and wants a physician assisted suicide, then they should receive one.
“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem”-Phil Donahue. Suicide is a controversial topic that may be gory and uncomfortable for students to learn about in school. However, in my opinion, it is necessary that teenagers are exposed to this topic, so that they know of events that may affect their peers, and themselves. Discussing this matter at school, informs students that this is an increasing affair and something should be done. Suicide is an appropriate topic to discuss in a Grade 9 class, as students are now mature enough to handle such topics as they appear in many other lessons taught in class.
Who dictates how you live your life? How does one define life and when that life should end? If you become terminally ill, would you like the choice to choose how your life ends? In the United States, assisted suicide, is a highly-debated issue. On one side, there are many in support of allowing a person the right to end their life with dignity at the time of their choosing. While others believe, it is a moral right to sustain life and leave a person’s exit from this world to a higher power. The two opposing viewpoints have both compassionate reasons and disadvantages; nevertheless, a person’s human rights as an individual are the most important aspect to uphold.
People commit suicide on a daily basis, not only in the United States of America, but all over the entire world. Dying by suicide or losing someone from suicide can be incredibly traumatic for families, loved ones, and the victim. Also, dying from suicide by hanging, shooting, or harming oneself is not the utmost, moral, or ethical way to die, due to the physical pain. Furthermore, there are a
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the tenth leading cause of death among Americans, accounting for 41,000 deaths in 2013. More than half of all suicides are related to firearms.” Many people have bad thoughts, thoughts so horrific in terms that they want to end their own lives. It’s not just the thoughts that they have, it’s also the different situations they have going on in their lives. In the book: It’s kind of a Funny Story; it expresses the thoughts of one of the characters “I didn't want to wake up. I was having a much better time asleep. And that's really sad. It was almost like a reverse nightmare, like when you wake up from a nightmare you're so relieved. I woke up into a nightmare.” This character is expressing, the intensity of even being awake. They would rather kill themselves than to go on living the horrible life that they may lead. Suicide is always controversial, many people believe that suicide should never be an option. Although for some of us it is, for me it was at one point. Earlier this year, I was on the brink of taking my life. I was so fed up with everything, I was a mess, and i couldn’t take it anymore. The drama with my dad, and his new girlfriend, then all the stress from school and my two jobs. One day, I had enough, I couldn’t take it anymore it was too much. I got out of work, and I had a bad day at work, the customers were so rude, and I felt helpless. I went to the kitchen, and I grabbed a knife,
In the ever changing role and dynamic atmosphere that healthcare provides, unique challenges and opportunities constantly arise which are a multi-faceted labyrinth of ethical and moral dilemma. One of the most contested and widely debated topics to be found in the healthcare workplace today is the subject of Assisted Suicide. Altering a person’s course of death into a process driven role, rather than the client’s final life event, creates a myriad of ethical and moral dilemmas.
Physician-assisted suicide is a very controversial topic in the medical field. It is a topic that has been debated over for years. Webster’s dictionary defines this terms as, “suicide by a patient facilitated by means (as a drug prescription) or by information (as an indication of a lethal dosage) provided by a physician aware of the patient’s intent” (Merriam-Webster). In other words, it is a way that when a patient is ill, they can commit suicide with the help of a physician. This practice is legal in some states in the United States and in many countries around the world. This topic is so controversial because people disagree on whether it is ethical to help someone end another person’s life. There are many people that advocate this and there are also many people that disagree with helping someone commit suicide.
Places all around the world have legalized assisted suicide and it has proven successful in every place. Canada, Japan, Germany, Switzerland the USA, including California, Washington, Oregon, Vermont, and Montana, all these places have experienced and legalized assisted suicide, and every place has had an overwhelming increase in the happiness and welfare of its overall population. Canadian justices, while explaining their change in heart over assisted suicide said, “What has changed...is that other countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Colombia and Switzerland, plus four American states, have shown that assisted dying can be well regulated” (Last Rights, 2016, para. 4). This in itself expresses that because of the success other countries have already received, the implementation
Physician assisted suicide is a crime almost everywhere, by one statute or another. In countries where assisted suicide is legal, there are guidelines, such as mandatory written request, administration by physicians only, and mandatory reporting of suicide, to prevent any abuse, however, they are often not enforced, or violated. Currently Washington, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico, and Montana are the only states in the U.S that have legalized assisted suicide. Those who oppose assisted suicide argue that the legalization of it may have unintended consequences, that are not confined to only those states citizens. A person who is terminally ill, disabled, or elderly, may look to assisted suicide as an only resort, rather than a last resort, which it was initially intended to be. Assisted suicide should be abolished throughout the United States.
In the preamble of the Declaration of Independence, it is stated that we all have the right to life, but does that also mean we also have the right to die? Under the Death with Dignity Act (assisted suicide), this is possible. assisted suicide is a process in which, if a terminally ill adult chooses, a doctor will legally prescribe a lethal dose of barbiturates to end its life. Unfortunately, because of morality issues, the terminally ill only have the right to assisted suicides in a few U.S. states. The U.S. government should allow terminally ill adults the right to choose assisted suicides in all 50 states because the right to choose should be our own.
If someone wants to end their life peacefully instead of dying painfully at the hands of a deadly disease they should be allowed to do that. Every year thousands of people suffer and die at the crippling hands of extremely painful, deadly diseases. Terminally ill patients should have the right to die with the assistance of a doctor.
If you bring up the subject of suicide in a room of people, it is likely that the individuals will become quite, begin to become uncomfortable. Why is this? Is it because of the aspect of death? Is it the ways it is done? Society may say it is a wrong and selfish act, or that a person is not considering others and therefore it is erroneous. We live in a society where mental health problems are rampant, societal issues take over our daily lives and out everyday stresses impact our health, yet our understanding of the subject that is to be avoided and carries a stigma with it that affects the way people see those who have attempted or completed suicide. When deciding if suicide is an ethical or morally accepted action, we must take many factors into consideration. Some of these factors may include the culture and society in which we live and our knowledge of psychological and biological causes. With these factors in mind, we can then adopt our own personal philosophies on whether suicide is an ethical or moral act. While not all individuals are going to agree on a consensus, it is important to consider others opinions and be aware of them while discussing the subject, even if it is uncomfortable.
Someone, somewhere, commits suicide every 18 minutes. You might never be able to tell who it will be, it could be the person sitting right next . Statistics reveal that approximately three million youths, between 12-18, have either thought about or attempted suicide in the past year. More than 1/3, actually succeeded.
In 1879, the United States Supreme Court ruled, by a vote of 9-0, that execution by firing squad was not cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. This began a long debate on whether or not a government reserves the right to punish those who have taken a life by taking their lives. There are many reasons as to why someone would be against capital punishment: it is not our right as humans to play God, it is against the constitution, the threat of capital punishment is not a valid deterrent, it is morally corrupt to take a life. All of these points are valid, and they represent the mindset of millions of Americans; however, capital punishment is a valuable asset to be reserved for only “the most heinous murders and the most brutal and conscienceless murderers” (Alice).