Do People Have a Right to End Their Lives Whenever They Choose to - Personal Statement Example

Do people have a right to end their lives whenever they choose to? Suicide is a common form of self-inflicted violence. Every year, thousands of people commit suicide all over the world for a variety of reasons. Suicide is the extreme form of violence as it leads to death. Any action ranging from excessive dosage of pills to cutting the wrist vain that may result in the end of life qualifies as suicide. Suicide is an ethically significant issue. Three reasons why the issue is ethically significant include the fact that most religions forbid violence, the fact that it is a self-inflicted crime, and it has negative effects on the relatives of the person who commits suicide.

The fundamental root of morality and ethics in the society is the teachings of religion. While different religions may have different stakes on suicide, it is forbidden in most of the religions particularly the Abrahamic religions including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The social structure of most nations, their norms and values, trends and traditions can be traced back to the prevailing religion of a vast majority of people making up those nations. Something like suicide that is inconsistent with the teachings of religion is ethically questionable.

Suicide is violence and all forms of violence are ethically significant issues. Like in every act of crime, there is an offender and a victim in suicide. What makes this form of crime unique is that both the offender and the victim is the same person. This complicates suicide as a form of violence because the involvement of the will of the victim in being victimized serves as a hindrance for others to intrude even if they want to. Others are essentially caught in a dilemma. On one hand, they feel responsible not for stopping the person committing suicide because they probably could if they used force.

On the other hand, they feel responsible for stopping the person committing the suicide and thus making that person take more tension and distress. The effects of suicide are not limited to the person who commits it, but extend beyond him/her to affect the family and friends and most other people who learn about the unfortunate event. In many cases, family members take extreme steps in emotional distress and also commit the suicide in an attempt to end the agony. Since a suicide has bad psychological effects on the friends and family in particular and the society in general, its ethical significance is not questionable.

To conclude, suicide is undoubtedly an ethically significant issue on the grounds of religion, violence, and social effects. Suicide is a heinous act which reflects the cowardice and inability of an individual to deal with the circumstances with courage. Suicide is the extreme step an individual can take because it results in the termination of life. Owing to the fact that it is ethically significant, government and the concerned authorities should take serious steps to eradicate the factors that commonly lead people to the point of suicide.