Suicide : A Controversial And Thought Provoking Issue

"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.

Suicide is defined as the action of killing oneself intentionally. This act of self-harm has been present in every culture in the world since the beginning of the human race. There are many different views concerning the topic on whether the action is justifiable or a selfish act. In order to understand how the world has perceived suicide, one must dig into the reactions of different times. As time progressed, views went back and forth on the idea of suicide.

“Suicide is applied to all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will produce this result” (Durkheim 34). Suicide is a phenomenon that has plagued our world since the beginning of time. It currently accounts for the second leading cause of death in people ages ten to twenty-four years old (Garni Powerpoint). This means of ending your own life is something we can prevent as a society. If we can eliminate societal pressures and stereotypes we can all be treated equally. All suicides during a certain time period are grouped together, when in all reality we should be treating each situation as it’s own. Durkheim states “...with it’s own unity, individuality, and consequently its own nature- a nature, furthermore, dominantly social”.

Richard Doerflinger is the first author and is against physician-assisted suicide. In his article he starts by saying that killing an innocent person is against the Jewish and Christian worldviews. He argues that those in favor of assisted suicide put less, if no, value on human life. He quoted an advocate of assisted suicide, Attorney Robert Risley, who stated that a life of suffering “racked with pain,” is “not the kind of life we cherish.” Roerflinger says that advocates argue for a pro-choice look at the issue instead of what should be viewed as a claim that some lives are not worth living. He also argues that assisted suicide is not a case of ensuring one’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” It is instead the exact opposite because life is fundamental to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Roerflinger continues to state claims from advocates of assisted suicide. He states that they defend their side by saying “we do not encourage suicide for any reason except to relieve unremitting suffering.” Roerflinger argues that with this claim, liberty and freedom of choice loses its value if one’s choice cannot relieve suffering or lead to happiness. He argues that the advocate’s claim of “pro-choice” is not inconsistent here. He says their highest priority seems to the pursuit of happiness rather than freedom of choice. Roerflinger explains that the advocates are ultimately saying; if one has an inability to pursue happiness

On average, every day, 121 people die from suicide, which means 44,193 deaths each year just in the United States. On the other hand, for every one suicide, there are at least 25 attempts. Every attempt that “failed” is just another chance to save a life. An unknown source once quoted “Suicide doesn’t end the chances of life getting worse, it eliminates the possibility of it ever getting any better.” There are multiple methods a person can choose from to commit suicide, but this essay will be discussing two specific methods: jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge and physician-assisted suicide.

The article I selected speaks about assisted suicide, a health care issue that is being debated by Americans. Assisted suicide or also known as physician assisted suicide (PAS) is defined as the suicide of a patient suffering from an incurable disease, effected by the taking of lethal drugs provided by a doctor for this purpose (Oxford Dictionaries, n.d.). Currently assisted suicide is illegal in all states except Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Montana, and New Mexico. This

As the political debates are in full action, I am certainly aware of the discussion of controversial topics. Although assisted suicide is not among the topics, however I do understand the difficulties of addressing sensitive topics. The following assignment is a reflection on Helping a Suicide When the End Isn't Near. First, I’ll introduce the debaters as well as their background and position on this controversial topic. Next, I will address my view and rationale pertaining to the topic.

Even with the legalization of assisted suicide, reasonable laws can be constructed which prevent abuse and still protect the value of human life. Josh Sanburn in “The Last Choice” argues against the preconceived notion that suicide devalues the life of a human, but

The moral and ethical aspects of physician-assisted suicide are important ones that shouldn’t be overlooked.  In virtually all cases of assisted suicide the pain and suffering experienced by the patient is unrelievable.  Although it is important to go to great lengths to try and ease the suffering through traditional medicine, often times it’s just not enough.  When the traditional approach fails sometimes more drastic approaches are necessary.  One such measure that has come to be highly controversial in this decade is physician-assisted suicide.  This form of suicide is hotly debated because it isn’t just a mere suicide, but a planned out social contract between two or more people.  The basis for my argument for assisted suicide rests in the values of individual self-determination or autonomy and individual well-being.  Self-determination is central to the issue because a person should be able to choose how to live their life or in this case, how to die.

Suicide has always been an intriguing and permanent solution to end an individual’s sorrow. This act of intentionally ending one's life seems to be the only option when individuals are willing to sacrifice their own life in hopes of finding tranquility. By overlooking a topic, such as suicide, there will be a lost on opportunities that are capable of preventing such actions. Suicide has always been around and to simply define it, this self destruction is a way to escape the horrible realities of life. The common expectation for the public is that everyone is aware of mental health or stability.

This should be my 15th attempt at erasing/re-writing the intro of this write up. Suicide has been such an ostracized topic that one does not speak until it hits the news. I found it very hard to even think about how I was going to present my thoughts on it. Until, I feel like I speak to you directly, Yama Budhha, and hundreds of less known nevertheless equally important souls.

When people hear the word “suicide” they automatically think of something gloomy and something that is shameful. But assisted suicide is different, it is more like helping someone make a choice. The choice is does a person want to suffer for as long as possible or does a person want to have a choice to end their life on their own terms. Assisted suicide is a person with an incurable disease who wants to die. It is a use of lethal drugs provided by a doctor. It is more about what the person in this situation wants than what the government thinks. There are so many different aspects that go into this global issue but this essay is going to focus on government involvement, religion, and legalizing suicide. It is not about the right to die but

     Assisted suicide is one of the most controversial topics discussed among people every day. Everyone has his or her own opinion on this topic. This is a socially debated topic that above all else involves someone making a choice, whether it be to continue with life or give up hope and die. This should be a choice that they make themselves. However, In the United States, The land of the free, only one state has legalized assisted suicide. I am for assisted suicide and euthanasia. This paper will support my many feelings on this subject.

Phipps, William E. “Christian Perspectives on Suicide.” The Christian CENTURY 102 (30 Oct. 1985): 970-973. Web. 29 Mar. 2012.

Teen suicide is something that is endless, it will never stop but if everyone was educated on it, it could help prevent deaths. I think with people provided with statistics and further information can help avoid adolescent suicide attempts. I think most teen suicide cases could be prevent if we knew the signs to look for and the ways to stop it. I believe parents would feel safer if they knew knowledge on the issue and how to handle it. The intended audiences for this essay is parents or friends of suicidal teens. This essay is important because, as mentioned earlier, we need to be educated on suicide to end tons of tragedies. It is also important to be aware of the warning signs to help prevent. This essay is relevant because teen suicide is a war that happens daily, and will continue to happen, until we take control of the situation and do something to stop it. If family members were informed of the cause and symptoms leading up to the attempt of suicide, then there is less likely that teenagers would try and commit