Suicide has long been a hot topic throughout a variety cultures and religions. There have been debates ranging from “suicide is a sin” to “assisted suicide should be made legal”, no matter what your view on suicide there is an abundant of knowledge to be gained from previously concluded research. This paper will discuss what exactly suicide is, how prevalent is suicide and the variety of opinions taken by different cultures and people. According to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary suicide is “the act or an instance of taking one 's own life voluntarily and intentionally especially by a person of years of discretion and of sound mind” (2015). Suicide has been studied in great depths over the years by many famous intellectual individuals.
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In each category similarities can be seen but there are also great differences. From the moralist standpoint suicide is viewed as crime against humanity. “For moralist, protecting life and preventing suicide is a moral obligation” (Onkay Ho, 2014). Since this perspective views preventing suicide as a moral obligation one would infer that according to this perspective suicide attempts and thoughts would be considered immoral or in other words a “sin”. The second perspective, libertarian, views suicide as a basic human right. A libertarian perspective believes that suicide can be a sensibly though out decision and an intelligent alternative to avoid pain and suffering (Onkay Ho, 2014). This perspective could be applied to those who suffer from chronic illness, disability or disease. Rather than live with a chronic illness or disability one would have the right to end their suffering and pain through suicide. This perspective also implies that suicide can be a rational decision, which is highly debatable depending on who you ask. The final perspective is relativist. The relativist perspective believes that “the acceptability of suicide will depend on the needs of the individual, the family, and society in that moment” (Onkay Ho, 2014). In other words this theory can be pro suicide or against suicide; it will all depend on …show more content…
The latter half of the paper will discuss a variety of different “hot topics” related to opinions on suicide. The first topic being assisted suicide. Assisted suicide commonly “consist of providing a person with the means to die; the person self-administers the death-causing agent, which is a lethal dose of medication” (G. Corey, M. Corey, C. Corey, & Callanan, 2011, p. 94). Assisted suicide has been covered by media outlets around the world and spurred legal action in some cases. The main issue to consider when discussing assisted suicide would be the ethical implications for the person “assisting”. When one thinks of assisted suicide the first thought is typically physician assisted suicide; in which a doctor assists someone, meaning to provide a lethal dose of medication that results in death. Physicians are required to take an oath to “do no harm” and many would argue that in assisting with suicide they are causing harm (death). Along with ethical issues that surround assisted suicide there are also legal issues. The legal implications for assisted suicide vary from state to state. In some states assisted suicide is illegal and legal action will be taken against anyone who is thought to have been involved in assisted suicide. However there are some states, like Vermont who was the first state in 2013 to pass a Death With Dignity Act which rules some cases of assisted suicide
In each category similarities can be seen but there are also great differences. From the moralist standpoint suicide is viewed as crime against humanity. “For moralist, protecting life and preventing suicide is a moral obligation” (Onkay Ho, 2014). Since this perspective views preventing suicide as a moral obligation one would infer that according to this perspective suicide attempts and thoughts would be considered immoral or in other words a “sin”. The second perspective, libertarian, views suicide as a basic human right. A libertarian perspective believes that suicide can be a sensibly though out decision and an intelligent alternative to avoid pain and suffering (Onkay Ho, 2014). This perspective could be applied to those who suffer from chronic illness, disability or disease. Rather than live with a chronic illness or disability one would have the right to end their suffering and pain through suicide. This perspective also implies that suicide can be a rational decision, which is highly debatable depending on who you ask. The final perspective is relativist. The relativist perspective believes that “the acceptability of suicide will depend on the needs of the individual, the family, and society in that moment” (Onkay Ho, 2014). In other words this theory can be pro suicide or against suicide; it will all depend on …show more content…
The latter half of the paper will discuss a variety of different “hot topics” related to opinions on suicide. The first topic being assisted suicide. Assisted suicide commonly “consist of providing a person with the means to die; the person self-administers the death-causing agent, which is a lethal dose of medication” (G. Corey, M. Corey, C. Corey, & Callanan, 2011, p. 94). Assisted suicide has been covered by media outlets around the world and spurred legal action in some cases. The main issue to consider when discussing assisted suicide would be the ethical implications for the person “assisting”. When one thinks of assisted suicide the first thought is typically physician assisted suicide; in which a doctor assists someone, meaning to provide a lethal dose of medication that results in death. Physicians are required to take an oath to “do no harm” and many would argue that in assisting with suicide they are causing harm (death). Along with ethical issues that surround assisted suicide there are also legal issues. The legal implications for assisted suicide vary from state to state. In some states assisted suicide is illegal and legal action will be taken against anyone who is thought to have been involved in assisted suicide. However there are some states, like Vermont who was the first state in 2013 to pass a Death With Dignity Act which rules some cases of assisted suicide