Suicide pressure
No law can prevent impatient relatives, watching substantial inheritances evaporate in care fees, from wishing that Granny would bring things to a conclusion a bit sooner.
No law can prevent a woman from resenting having to care for her declining husband when he could have decided to make an earlier exit, like the man next door did.
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Hide AdNo law can prevent vulnerable people from picking up on this feeling, even if it is not articulated directly. If relatives give no indication of a desire to see someone dead, still the person may assume such a desire and feel guilty for failing to fulfil it.
If we, as a society, endorse suicide as a valid option, we create a culture where each of us must justify our decision to keep living. Some ethics “experts” already talk about a “duty to die” when we become emotionally, physically or financially “burdensome”.
Supporters of assisted suicide are usually reluctant to answer this question: should teenagers be taught that suicide can be a valid option when facing certain difficult situations? I say No. They must answer “Yes”.
Richard Lucas
Broomyknowe
Edinburgh