Okay, this thread will be for the debate of suicide, what its effects on society are, and whether or not physician-assisted-deaths should be made legal.
Well, in the first place lets define suicide:
So suicide is intentionally taking ones own life. Now, what effect does it have on the society and others? Well, aside from the intense emotional pain that the deceased loved ones will feel, the most economically damaging problem is attempted suicides. Attempted suicides have been estimated to have raked up $3 billion annually for medical care for those that have intentionally harmed themselves and $5 billion dollars in lost wages. [Statistics found here] (Please not that these number are from the US)
Now the most common methods of suicide are
1. Firearms (50.6%)
2. Suffocation and hanging (24.8)
3. Poisoning (17.3%)
Now the question is "Would they have still taken their lives if they had not had access to these items?" Other people may wonder "Why should we even care? Its their life"
Another question is "Who is more likely to commit suicide?"
It is noteworthy that the suicide rates are 4x higher in men than in women. In 2010, 78.9% of suicides were male and females had a 21.1%.
What about age?
In 2009 the age range that had the highest suicide rate was the 45-64yrs. age range, and in second place was the 85+yrs. age range. And according to the statistics site "Younger groups have had consistently lower suicide rates than middle-aged and older adults."
Does races have different suicide rates?
Yes, but they are in a constant state of flux. In 2010 the race that had the highest amount of suicides was white, followed closely by American Indian/Alaskan native.
What about where you live? (In the US)
Supprisingly the state that had the lowest number of recorded suicides was New York, and the highest was Wyoming.
Now as I mentioned before about Physician-Assisted Deaths. This is a quote from a site that summarizes the subject:
Unites States Suicide Hotline Number:
1-800-273-8255
Well, in the first place lets define suicide:
1. the action of killing oneself intentionally
2. relating to or denoting a violent act or attack carried out by a person who does not expect to survive it.
So suicide is intentionally taking ones own life. Now, what effect does it have on the society and others? Well, aside from the intense emotional pain that the deceased loved ones will feel, the most economically damaging problem is attempted suicides. Attempted suicides have been estimated to have raked up $3 billion annually for medical care for those that have intentionally harmed themselves and $5 billion dollars in lost wages. [Statistics found here] (Please not that these number are from the US)
Now the most common methods of suicide are
1. Firearms (50.6%)
2. Suffocation and hanging (24.8)
3. Poisoning (17.3%)
Now the question is "Would they have still taken their lives if they had not had access to these items?" Other people may wonder "Why should we even care? Its their life"
Another question is "Who is more likely to commit suicide?"
It is noteworthy that the suicide rates are 4x higher in men than in women. In 2010, 78.9% of suicides were male and females had a 21.1%.
What about age?
In 2009 the age range that had the highest suicide rate was the 45-64yrs. age range, and in second place was the 85+yrs. age range. And according to the statistics site "Younger groups have had consistently lower suicide rates than middle-aged and older adults."
Does races have different suicide rates?
Yes, but they are in a constant state of flux. In 2010 the race that had the highest amount of suicides was white, followed closely by American Indian/Alaskan native.
What about where you live? (In the US)
Supprisingly the state that had the lowest number of recorded suicides was New York, and the highest was Wyoming.
Now as I mentioned before about Physician-Assisted Deaths. This is a quote from a site that summarizes the subject:
Proponents of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) contend that terminally ill people should have the right to end their suffering with a quick, dignified, and compassionate death. They argue that the right to die is protected by the same constitutional safeguards that guarantee such rights as marriage, procreation, and the refusal or termination of life-saving medical treatment.
Opponents of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide contend that doctors have a moral responsibility to keep their patients alive as reflected by the Hippocratic Oath. They argue there may be a "slippery slope" from euthanasia to murder, and that legalizing euthanasia will unfairly target the poor and disabled and create incentives for insurance companies to terminate lives in order to save money.
Unites States Suicide Hotline Number:
1-800-273-8255
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