Yes inspired by a post that is no longer here. Does anyone have the right to prevent a free human

[RB TexLa]

Poll question: Yes inspired by a post that is no longer here. Does anyone have the right to prevent a free human

being from killing themselves?

[skipos]

1. Short answer when a long answer would be better

If the person wasn't of sound mind (ie off medications) I think intervention might be ok. Otherwise, everyone should be able to control their own life.

edit: I think interventions on minors is good too.

[fenriswolf]

2. exactly

a person must be of sound mind before making a choice like that, i mean if you wanna get legal about it. a person will end their life when they see fit anyways.

[AuntPatsy]

3. What happened to the post and no I don't feel anyone has that right unless

the person in question has mental problems. The answer is not so black and white sometimes.

[seriousstan]

7. It mentioned the site that must not be mentioned.

[porphyrian]

4. Anyone ever? Maybe.

Generally, no. However, I can imagine certain situations, such as when someone is not in their right mind and would be likely to regret the decision to kill themselves if they weren't. In this case, I favor postponing the suicide until they've had a chance to reconsider with a sound mind. If, at that time, they still wanted to go through with it, that's their choice. Anyway, that's one example I can think of, and I'm sure there are probably more exceptions.

[Gman]

5. Yes you do because

suicide is not a rational act. In their right mind, someone would never do it so you must do what you can to save them from theirself.

[havocmom]

8. How about someone in horrible pain, no cure and no $$ for care?

There are times when it is a most rational choice and nothing to do with being out of one's right mind.

May you never fully understand my point. But, please do allow that there could be situations where death would be kinder and more rational.

[Guaranteed]

9. Yes, there are those times when it is a rational act.

And, when it is, I think the decision should be respected.

But before respecting it, it would probably be good to do whatever can be done to help the person.

[seriousstan]

6. Since I saw that thread and the situation was despair over a relationship breakup....

...real or imaginary threat of suicide...I would say yes. People should not off themselves because they are depressed.

I realize the OP being referenced might not have even had a threat of suicide, that is not relevant. I have read here often that some of the most heinous crimes couldn't have been committed by a sane person. I most cases... horrendous pain, lose-lose situations and self-sacrifice excepted....a person who wants to take their own life is not in a sane state of mind.

[Wiley50]

12. As someone who had just heard the same story from the OP in a PM

In this case, I think intervention is warranted as this person still has a lot of good to offer the world.

How serious he is I can't tell yet, but you can bet I had a bunch of truth to share with the guy.

The person is one of DU's most beloved posters and I'm fucking concerned.

[seriousstan]

13. So it wasn't just song lyrics?

[Wiley50]

14. Let's just say the lyrics were inspired by real events the guy is dealing with...or not n/t

[seriousstan]

17. Cool, thanks.

[bonito]

10. I have hope, to share...

[MADem]

11. What's the context? A bozo is high on something and wants to make an ill-advised,

"I will regret this when I am not fucked up" decision, or someone is terminally ill, in great pain, and wants to punch out before they get to the crippled, panting, glazed eye sick-as-a-dog, can't move anything save the bowels phase?

Context is EVERYTHING. There's no context to your question.

One is NOT like the other.

[The Straight Story]

15. Well - if killing yourself affects someone else, then yes

Because in our nanny state, if anything at all you ever do affects someone else we can regulate it and punish it :)

[rucky]

16. more like an obligation.

I don't think it's a question of rights from that perspective.

A person should have the right to kill themselves, though.

[Rhythm and Blue]

18. Depends on the situation, but generally not only a right but an obligation.

A suicidal person is not in their right mind, and is making a "decision" at the mercy of imbalanced chemical levels and which is likely to cause far more pain than it will prevent.

A person with a terminal disease wishing to choose the manner of their death is another story.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

19. Yes, but it's damn tricky.

Unfortunately a lot of suicides come from a combination of acute depression and drunkeness. Both are conditions that naturally get better. It is hard to find justification for not intervening when someone is going to not want to die in short order.

A good example would be a guy who's girlfriend dumped him that day and he's had a few too many and suddenly says, I can't take it" and starts trying to climb over a bridge railing. Any of us would grap his arm. We all have had romantic disappointments and been drunk and we know that it probably won't look that bad to him in the morning.

But if someone makes a considered decision... at some point that's their call. It seems an essential part of human dignity to control the circumstances of one's passing if one feels strongly about it.

I would try for a mental capacity standard that accepted that a desire to comit suicide is not, in an of itself, proof of mental illness. It's suggestive of mental illness, but you can't have a standard of "nobody ever gets to comit suicide, ever, and we will lock them up forever, until they die of natural causes, to prevent it."