We all come into this world by chance and without choice. Some of us come into this world with the better role of the dice than others, for example born into a richer family, good genetics, no diseases, while others might not be as lucky. Many born today also have a predisposition to mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, which all influences the way that someone lives their life. If someone is chronically unhappy should they have the right to end their life?
Part of me is very torn on this idea because I think many times than not people can overcome temporary depression and anxiety and things do get better. However that being said, I do believe that you should have the right to do anything you with to do with your own body and life. There are cases where people will never get better and with many types of depression, it is a battle people face not for weeks, but for years. Some people go through their whole lives with depression and it never gets better.
The cold hard truth is for many, life is full of pure suffering with no exit in sight but death. People who suffer from degenerative muscle diseases and can’t control their body, or are confined to live their lives in a wheel chair might be in constant pain. Some of these people do not wish to live out a life like this and I personally think if they want to partake in an assisted suicide program, it is not my place to stop them. This might come down to a human rights issue more than a moral one in the end.
Some countries have already begun to offer assisted suicide and euthanasia programs based not only on terminal illness, but also for those who want to end their lives. It is very heavily regulated and there are very few people per year that actually are able to take part , but it offers a legal way to go about suicide. Obviously if someone really wants to end their life, they don’t need government permission, which is why criminalizing suicide, like the majority of countries have done makes no sense.
Morally the decision comes down to what you believe or the perspective life has given you on that matter. For me, I see legal suicide as an active choice to end one’s life and a right given to us purely by existing. If it was legal and people went through the legal loopholes which took years, the majority of people would not end up doing something they regretted immediately. That being said, it does scare me that someone might regret the decision as soon as they choose undergo it.
Im really interested to hear your opinions on this idea or what you think about the countries who have already legalized it in some form. Do you think this is a moral dilemma or one of human rights? Do you know someone that a law like this might affect negatively or positively? Every response no matter your opinion is appreciated.