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Originally Posted by PsYcNeT
Using an anecdotal reference to reinforce a point is specious.
Aside from that, an argument can be made that assisted suicide can itself be a form of harm reduction, again, not to the individual, but to society as a whole.
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It also depends on what you consider "harm". Is being in constant pain or feeling like you are not even a person anymore not a harmful to that individual?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist
Most suicides are impulse, not well thought out. I highly doubt having an assisted suicide program would curb the number of people jumping in front of a train or shooting themselves on the head or swallowing all of their pills
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This is an interesting point. I'm not sure if it's true that most suicides are impulse decisions as I would think most people who come to that conclusion have likely thought about it at least a few times before.
Maybe for something like assisted suicide for people who are more or less "healthy" would be something along the lines of having to go through a certain amount of treatment attempts before qualifying for it. At least then you can try and help the people who are seeking it. And if suicide is their end choice, maybe some of their loved ones can end up convincing them otherwise. As generally something like suicide is never brought up with those groups of people before the act occurs. That's why most times people are taken by surprise when it happens. Maybe putting it out in the open rather than tip toeing around it is the solution, or at least part of it.