Why is it illegal to kill yourself? (In the USA)

[poop]

Does anyone else see the irony in this? I mean, if you succeed, what are they going to do? And if you fail, how are they going to pusish you? You already want to die.

I am just trying to make sense of the law. I feel that if you want to die, go ahead. It is your life, you can end it whenever you like.

 

[StageLeft]

Its a very stupid law. Most people who try and kill themselves can be helped with some medical assistance but it doesn't change the fact its a dumb law. Just as its illegal to assist in a suicide is also a dumb law.

 

[guyver01]

who ever said suicide is illegal? it might be immoral.. but i dont think its illegal.

 

[StageLeft]

Yes it is, Guyver.

 

[rudder]

I wouold imagine it is illegal so that if someone fails, that person can be admitted to a hospital for psychiatric help or whatever. If they did not break a law they would just have to be let go.

 

[poop]

Since when is choosing to end your life a mental illness? Why can you not decide to die rationally?

 

[SmiZ]

I believe the law came about because most people think that one would not want to commit suicide unless one was mentally unstable. Lawmakers feel they are doing a "favor" to those who would end their own life.

Generally the only place this comes into effect are those in hospitals who are unable to end their own lives alone and need someone to "pull the plug". Anyone who is physically able to throw themselves off of a roof can do so whenever they want, so the law does not affect them.

Most christian religions believe that suicide is a sin worhty of enternal damnation. This could be another reason that laws were made in order to make it "illegal".

I do agree with you in saying the law is ironic if not unfounded.

 

[vi edit]

Technically it's murder. Murder is illegal.

 

[SmiZ]

vi_edit:

Technically that's true, but is it also illegal to mutilate oneself? Have you ever seen people who scar themselves for fraternities or "body art"? I don't believe these actions are illegal, yet if you tried to cut someone else, you would be charged with assualt. So the fact that people do this to themselves willingly has to mean something.

 

[Eug]

Well, it isn't illegal per se, AFAIK.

Attempted suicide is illegal in most states, but a successful suicide is not.

 

[poop]

Good point. I may be uninformed. In any case, I still find attempted suicide laws silly.

 

[Elledan]

<< Technically it's murder. Murder is illegal. >>

Nope, the definition of murder: the unlawful premeditated killing of one person by another.

That's why suicide is called suicide and not murder.

 

[vi edit]

SmiZ, true, but we see inconsistencies in many places though. An employee of a piercing parlor can put a whole in my head and put a spike sticking out of it can't he?

In a football game if a linebacker tackles a wide reciever and breaks the recievers neck in the process, he isn't charged with murder.

If somebody dies while bungee jumping it isn't considered murder.


ect.

 

[Locutus of Board]

Ellendan,

That's not why suicide is not called murder.

If you want to kill a race, it's genocide.

It's called suicide because your killing self.

Murder is also called homicide.

Get it?

And BTW, I doubt someone thinking of suicide would worry about it being legal.

&quot;If I kill myself, I'm breaking the law.&quot;

 

[vi edit]

Elledan, killing your father is murder, but it is also called patricide. Killing your mother is murder, but it is also called matricide, killing a baby is murder, but it is also called infanticide.

 

[Locutus of Board]

I think he'll have an idea now VI.

 

[Eug]

Uh guys, suicide is a different story. For sure in Canada and I believe also in the US, suicide is NOT illegal, so it's impossible to equate that with murder. Attempted suicide IS illegal in most places, but for obvious reasons it is not approached in the same manner as murder. Now, in many religions, suicide is considered as bad as murder, but we're not talking religion here (I hope).

 

[Elledan]

Vi, Locutus: yes, I do have an idea now

I didn't know of that due to the fact that English is 'only' my secondary language. My humble excuses.


<<And BTW, I doubt someone thinking of suicide would worry about it being legal.

&quot;If I kill myself, I'm breaking the law.&quot;>>

Well, that just about sums it up

 

[SmiZ]

vi:

I think in all the cases you listed, the difference is consent. That football player knows there is a possibility of injury when he steps on the field. Same thing with the bungee jumper. It is considered a crime when one party does not consent to the activity in question. We see this with all the papers we have to sign or agree to in order to play sports or participate in something such as skydiving. I think what poop brings up is that even though an idividual may consent to suicide, it is still illegal to attempt it. This brings up my point that our current laws appear to make it seem that no one in their right mind would choose to kill themselves.

 

[apoppin]

Well, you have to realize only attempted suicide can be prosecuted.

The successful ones never are.

























I guess success has it's own reward. Sloppiness is prosecuted.

 

[hpkeeper]

I think the law was created to protect health insurance companies. If you kill yourself, your family won't recieve as much insurance money or any money at all because it was an act upon yourself. Health insurance I believe only covers things that you can't prevent.... such as car accident, heart attack, occupational hazards, etc. So if you think of it that way it's not really a law against suicide, it's a law against screwing over your insurance company. I guess people have tried to support their family better by killing themselves, that way they get immediate money.

 

[vi edit]

hpkeeper, that makes pretty damn good sense. I hadn't really thought about insurance companies paying out life insurance.

I might want to look over my life insurance fine print just to see what is covered and what isnt'.

I wonder if death while sky diving is covered

 

[hpkeeper]

well, you can't get any money from the skydiving company, that's why they make you fill out all that paperwork, so they aren't liable if something happens to you. Insurance should cover you when you do jump though because you aren't going up in a plane with the intention of killing yourself, although high risk, you aren't up there to die. So yeah, skydiving should be covered unless you intentionally not pull the pin to let your parachute out.

 

[Preyhunter]

Here's a thought to ponder as well...

Law enforcement officials can use force and, depending upon circumstances that warrant it, can use deadly force in order to prevent a suicide. Of course, one thing to remember is that the use of deadly force doesn't necessarily mean that death will result as a use of said force.

 

[Whitedog]

the reason it's illegal is because it voids certian things like Life Insurance policies...etc..