I dont want to go to hell

If you’re dead set on believing in Hell/God/religion, than there’s also always room for atonement and forgiveness. If God is who he claims to be, you can always have your slate wiped clean. Anyone can change, it’s just a matter of motivation.

We’ve all made mistakes, Mr X. Everyone is messed up, and everyone has secrets they don’t want anyone else to know. No matter how deep your sins are, you can always come back.

I’m not entirely sure how to respond to that. I’d rather not be defensive and start comparing pain, so I won’t. I never suggested I wanted to be alive, I was just trying to be kind to Mr. X.

I’m not religious these days, but having grown up in a pastor’s home, I know where Mr. X is coming from. Sorry your life sucks.

I wish it was easier to purchase ********, but governments are doing everything they can to stop people from obtaining it. The reality is people who aren’t suicidal can’t understand suicide, and therefore they do everything to prevent it. They think they are doing us a favor, but they aren’t. Society is not ready to face mortality, and therefore death is still taboo.

In any case, I’d rather not clog up Mr. X’s thread with talk about why ******** should be legal. I hope you’re able to find peace in one form or another.

@ MichelleJ: Yes and no. The reality is guns already exist and thousands upon thousands of people own them while still choosing not to commit suicide. The existence of a method does not necessarily mean everyone will be going out to commit suicide as soon as the bill making ******** legal is signed.

Would there be more suicides? Probably, but it’s not up to you or me to determine if that’s the wrong choice for someone. Everyone has the right to their own life and to pretend otherwise would be to set yourself up as judge and jury of humanity.

In many cases, just knowing you have an option is enough to quell one’s fears about death. It gives people a way to control something that feels out of control, and a lot of people would choose to keep living if they had that power. As I mentioned in another thread, I think the right to step onto the ledge is what some people need to step down from it.

I’m glad you bring it up though, because honestly I agree with you that it’s not a black and white issue. I think it’s understandable that people want to make sure they don’t carry any guilt for helping someone die, and to make sure it’s what the person really wants. However, this is why euthanasia is an inefficient and slightly backwards approach to allowing someone a peaceful exit. If it was left up to individuals to deliver themselves, it becomes about personal responsibility instead of the morally grey area that is assisted suicide.

I think there should be a system in which an individual can receive means of self deliverance after a period of time. There could be all sorts of requirements: therapy, medication, and continual verbal confirmation of desire. This would prevent someone from delivering themselves in a moment of passion, but it would allow people with chronic suffering to be able to have a way out. Even the knowledge that you can end your life peacefully would be enough to deter people from actually doing it.

Without that option, though, many suffering people often just give in to the despair and actually choose things they wouldn’t if they could get back the power. We can’t ignore death; it MUST be addressed because society has a moral obligation to do so.